Shinobi Chronicles
by KHLegacy
Summary: The Senju and the Uchiha are the most famous Clans of Kohana One Highly respected. The other sorely Distrusted. it's been Six years since the Uchiha Coup Attempt. And as a young boy and girl begin their lives as Shinobi with the Legendary Copy ninja Kakashi Hatake and the Fourth Hokage's son Naruto Uzamaki a wild adventure that may uncover secrets begins: idea by Freelancer 1989 AU
1. Prologue

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up. Idea by Freelancer1989_

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 _ **Prologue….**_

 _In the time before the one Village System, the world was embroiled in endless fighting. The Era of Warring States….Ninja Organizations were Militia groups divided by Clan. And back then Power was everything._

 _The Uchiha Clan was known worldwide; As a Warrior Clan with remarkable Chakra and the Sharingan. Volatile and aggressive and capable of destroying everything in their path like fire._

 _And then there was the Senju clan of the Forest with the Kekkei Genkai of Wood Style. Sturdy, loving and powerful enough to rival the Uchiha, they were the most bitter of rivals. Their leaders Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were the most powerful Ninja of both their time and their clans; and thus the only ones who could match each other with any hope of Victory._

 _Time and time again the Senju and the Uchiha battled each other. However members on both sides realized that the senseless fighting would wipe out everyone and everything. And created a new Organization, later known as Konoha or the Village hidden in the Leaves; And while there was peace many including the Senju and Uchiha themselves regarded the two as being like Oil and Water unable to Mix._

 _Uchiha were said to revel in Power. Madara felt his own influence slipping away in the village over time. So he left the Village and sought to change the world in his own image. Starting with the Destruction of the Hidden Leaf._

Dust and dirt surged around Hashirama as an attacked with changed trajectory flew across a lake and exploded. He looked up at the Dark Azure Ethereal Warrior letting power surge off him making Hashirama's hair blow wildly around his face as it engulfed the demon fox. It's bright orange fur tinted with blue almost visible beneath its armor that formed around its many tails.

"Will you destroy everything that has been achieved Madara?! That's an insult to our siblings and friends!"

"You know nothing…." Madara growled.

"I don't want to kill you!" Hashirama cried out. Madara merely let out a battle cry prompting the demon fox to do the same. "So, be it…." he sighed quickly weaving Hand signs.

" _ **Wood Style: Great Golem Jutsu!**_ " Hashirama shouted Giant roots and tree branches rose from the ground taking shape. Madara gasped when it hit him what the Jutsu was doing. Summoning a massive statue with with his wood Dragon twisting itself around it's body. Upon this statue the two charged at each other with a roar as powerful spheres of Chakra and light exploded from the Susanno clad Demon. The Statue pulled up it's arm and despite the massive damage stripping it of the arm it grew back effortlessly the Wood Dragon quickly rushed forward and tangled itself around the Demon's neck biting into the armor around it and draining it away. Lines and cracks of dark blue began to appear on the Dragon until finally it exploded with such an immense force that Madara fell down a few feet from the top of the Kyubi's head. He managed to grab on and climb back up but to his surprise he saw that half of the armor that once cloaked the Demon was gone.

" _He stripped off the Susanno!_ " Madara thought to himself in alarm as he saw half of the Fox's ethereal armor gone. The warrior pulled itself from the ground to march forward and pick up the Fox and hold it as it let out a roar of dislike. Then Hashirama then had his Wood Golem weave hand signs and then come forward holding out his hand where a mark had appeared as Madara jumped away unable to stop what was coming.

" ** _10th Edict of Enlightenment!_** " he shouted the same mark appearing on the golem's hand and pressed against the Fox's head freeing it from Madara's control and putting it to sleep.

Hashirama jumped down to face Madara at the climax at the clash. They charged at each other with all their might.

"HASHIRAMA!"

"MADARRRAAAAAA!"

 _This is a story that began hundreds of years ago and continues to this very day…._

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 ** _READ AND REVIEW!_**


	2. The Formation of Team Seven!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up ideas and Characters by Freelancer1989_

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 _ **The time is now! The Formation of Squad Seven!**_

 _Marada lost that battle, and his life. His remains were sealed in a giant tree created by Hashirama. Myths and Legends of that faithful night, and the tree holding the remains of the legendary Marada persisted for many years. But Hashirama is the only one who truly knew what happened. And he kept some secrets to his grave. And like all unearthed secrets they're buried beneath the surface of the world as time marches on leaving them forgotten. And people to make up their own story of what happened. Or unearth them completely…._

 **X X X**

Twelve year old Kiki was humming as she straightened herself up. She tightened the official forehead around her head allowing a couple of bangs to drip over top. She made sure the small braid at the top of her hair holding some of it up was tight; and looked over her dull gold and white Ninja outfit her blue eyes beaming in success. "Perfect!"

"Kiki it's time to go!" her mother called from below.

"Coming!" she called running down stairs passing her mother in a green Kimono, the same brown and blue eyes as her only older.

"You look so grown up!" her mother squeed. Kiki grinned brightly.

"I'm so excited." She said happily.

"Good luck sweetie." She said.

"Thank you!" Kiki stated rushing out as fast as she could happily. She technically still had another hour before Orientation. But she had to Riku's house first, which was on a far side of town by the Naka shrine. As she saw it in the distance she smiled turning right.

Soon a large house came into the distance. It was tall with dark brown rooves. And cream walls. Standing outside it stretching was a tall eighteen year old boy with brown hair slightly windswept. With a bluish grey shirt with a tall collar and dark Grey pants. He also had gear on his chest for the polearm he owned, war strips on his legs and the same headband as her.

"Sitka!" Kiki called.

"You're early Kiki." Sitka replied. "Riku's coming, don't worry."

"Yeah I'm so excited. Plus it's a bit of a walk from here to the Academy." Kiki replied.

"Right," Sitka replied with half a chuckle.

"Kiki!" Called a younger voice coming out was a boy with a blue shirt. War strips on his legs a pair of Elbow pads and black pants. His hair was black messy with spikes here and there, his dark eyes brimming with excitement.

"You ready?" He asked.

"More than ever!" Kiki replied.

"Good luck you guys!" Sitka said.

"Have a good day bro!" Riku called back as they raced off.

"Bye!" Sitka called. "There they go, when I said good luck I meant it….I shouldn't be worried they'll make the cut."

 **X X X**

Soon the swing was in side as was the door to the Ninja Academy. A Large building consisting of several erected nearby. Hokage Tower wasn't far from it at all. They rushed inside and took their seats everyone was chattering amongst themselves.

"Think we'll be on the same team?" Riku asked.

"I hope so!" Kiki replied.

"How'd Naruto get in!?" They heard someone shout. The two looked up indeed rushing to sit beside them with a smug look on his face was a boy with whisker markings on his face spiky blond hair and an orange jacket and pants with a white collar and the Forehead protector. "Well see this it means I passed the exam ya know!" he replied pointing to his headband.

The other Girl tall with blonde hair and a purple outfit sighed. "Geeze they're just giving the title away these days."

Riku and Kiki thought back to the graduation exam. First off was Transformation. Everyone else turned into Iruka. Riku decided to turn into his older brother and Kiki into her mother. When Naruto came up he sort of exploded out a Nine-tailed fox with his hair style surprising everyone which somehow counted. Apparently he had done the Shadow Clone technique correctly though.

Iruka sensei soon came in, a tall man with his hair back in a spiky ponytail and a scar across his nose wearing the regular Jonin outfit. Everyone quickly quieted down.

"As of today you are all Ninja. To get here you've had to face rigorous hardships. But that's nothing what you face next will be even more difficult now you are only Genin: first level ninja. All the Genin will be grouped into three man squads and lead by a Jonin an Elite Ninja."

" _Just like Sitka said."_ Riku thought to himself.

" _Three man Squad? Oh yeah I think mom mentioned something about that….I was too busy thinking about being a Ninja."_ Naruto sighed.

"We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities so that's how we set them up." Iruka explained. "I will now announce the squads." It was after that Iruka called out members for squads one through six. "Squad Seven, Riku Uchiha, Kiki Senju." They both smiled at each other. "Naruto Uzamaki."

"Oh!" they said together looking over at Naruto he grinned waving.

"Squad Eight, Hinata Hyuga!"

"Yes sir!" said a shy girl with white eyes and short dark purple hair and a grey jacket.

"Kiba Inuzuka." He said referring to a wild boy in a grey furred rimmed jacket with red stripes down his face. "And Shino Aburame." A boy wearing a forehead protector with Dark glasses Spiky dark brown hair and a pale grey jacket with a tall collar covering the lower half of his face.

Riku could hear some whispering between Ino and Shikamaru one thing he did catch from Ino was. "I'd hate to be on your squad."

"Squad ten, Ino Yamanaka, Sikamaru Nara," Iruka said. The timing was so perfect it was almost as if the Universe was spiting her.

"Wha!?" Ino hissed.

"What was that about hating to be on my squad?" Shikamaru snarked.

"And Choji Amikichi." Everyone eyes turned to a portly boy with short brown hair under his forehead protector and a scarf and green jacket with a shirt underneath chowing down on some potato chips.

"Ahhh! Not food boy too!" Ino groaned.

"And finally Squad eleven; Sakura Harano, Yoshi Sarutobi and Nika Arkura," He said; Referring to a Pink haired girl in a red dress using her head band to hold her hair up. A boy with orange hair wearing the crest of his clan on his sleeve. Similar to Kiki though it wasn't a branching tree like hers and was curved ending in two circles on the bottom and three on top. He had green eyes and the headband tied to his arm similar to Shikamaru. Then there was a boy with silver hair and blue eyes a black shirt with white pants with a gold and brown colored spotted cat that was bigger than most kittens his age wearing a blue vest named Tiko who hung his head.

"I wanted Kiki to be on our Squad Nya…" he sighed.

"We do have a girl on our squad." Nika pointed out.

"Yeah but Kiki's a really nice girl. And friendly; unlike Sakura who's nasty and looks even worse nya!" Tiko replied quickly.

Sakura glared and turned her head away. "Hmph sorry to disappoint you!" she growled….inside her however….

" _ **CHAAAA WATCH IT CAT OR I'LL TURN YOU INTO A SCARF!"**_ Inner Sakura threatened.

Naruto grinned. "Oh I see to get balance for our squad you paired up the three best students' right?"

Iruka sweat dropped. "That's not exactly right Naruto…but I'll let you think that." He replied as the class burst into laughter. "That's all the squads after lunch you'll meet your new Jonin teachers. Until then class dismissed."

 **X X X**

Sarutobi and the other Jonin were watching from a special crystal ball. "The most promising students of this class are Riku Uchiha and Kiki Senju."

"I guess it shouldn't be surprising." Kurenai muttered.

"You can expect great things from Neji of Team Guy and Hinata as well." Sarutobi replied before puffing on his pipe. "But Kala….the boy is a prodigy but he's a fool blinded by arrogance."

"It's good to see Naruto grow up normally." Sarutobi added. "A Mischievous boy but he has a good heart and I'm sure Kushina keeps him in line as well." He added with a Chuckle.

"He's also the forth Hokage's son I could see that making him want to stand out." Asuma added.

"Very true," Sarutobi agreed.

 **X X X**

"We should find Naruto and get to know him." Kiki suggested.

"Good idea." Riku agreed. As they looked for the boy they noticed Tiko following them quietly.

"Isn't that Nika's cat?" Riku muttered.

"Yeah it is." Kiki muttered.

"Hey come back here!" Sakura shouted as she and her team mates rushed over Tiko jumped into Kiki's arms.

"I'm sorry, he really likes you." Nika sighed.

"That and every other cat in town," Riku added.

"I don't know why…" Kiki replied sweat dropping as she handed Tiko back to Nika.

"Because you're so nice nya!" Tiko replied.

"Thank you." Kiki replied.

"Hey have you guys seen Naruto anywhere we wanted to get to know him." Riku replied.

"Uhh yeah I think he's by the swing." Sakura quickly said.

"Thanks." They replied heading off. Sakura then took a deep breath.

"That was close…" she replied.

"What you scared of Riku or something?" Yoshi asked.

"Well, he is an Uchiha," Sakura replied.

"And….." Nika asked with a half-lidded Sakura knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"They're a bunch you've gotta be careful around." Sakura sighed.

"Mmm Hmmm…" Nika replied not liking the answer she gave. This made her eye twitch a little.

" _ **Don't give me that! You know what happened six years ago! EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED SIX YEARS AGO CHAAAAA!"**_ Inner Sakura snarled.

 **X X X**

Naruto was sitting on the swing. "Naruto!" called Riku as he and Kiki came up.

"Oh hey!" Naruto said standing up.

"We wanted to invite you to Lunch so we could get to know each other." Kiki said in a friendly manner.

"Sounds great," Naruto said as they went back to the courtyard.

"What were you thinking about?" Kiki about.

"My Dad," Naruto replied looking up at the Hokage Monument. They could see a man with Spiky hair Similar to Naruto's but longer and a different shaped face right next to lord third's face.

"Oh yeah, my Dad said he went away for some very special training." Kiki said.

"Yeah it'll take a few years for him to get done. That's why Sarutobi is filling back in for him." Riku added. "Does he visit you?"

"Yeah every chance he gets, he was helping me with my Shadow Clone technique. Some block head tried to steal the scroll of sealing while we were out there and he took him out no time flat!" Naruto replied proudly.

"Wow amazing!" Kiki stated as they were sitting down to eat.

"They call him the Yellow Flash. He ended the Third Great Ninja war." Riku replied.

"Wow seriously! My Dad's the coolest!" Naruto stated happily. They ate as Naruto scarfed down his ramen. "I can't wait to see how much stronger he gets."

"Yeah it'll be something to behold." Riku stated.

"Until I knock him down a few pegs!" said an arrogant voice.

They turned to see three boys. The one on the right was greasy looking boy with a sleeveless shirt and pants. His hair going down past his shoudlers with squinty eyes.

The one on the left was large and masculine with a dumb looking face and a shaved head and a brown ninja outfit.

The middle was a tall boy with a build between the two he had white eyes filled with arrogance and smirked at them. He wore a white Karate outfit with a black rims and sandals. They were all wearing the official Headband on their heads.

"Well if it isn't the weakling Uchiha and some runt friends of his." Said the middle boy as the other two chortled.

" _Geeze do those two think, for themselves at all?"_ Kiki growled in her mind.

"Kala!" Riku growled.

"Heh, the weakling trying to be brave?" Kala asked.

"I'm not weak!" Riku growled, "what are you doing here anyway?!"

"We're here to knock you rookies around. We've been Ninja for a year and it's hard work so gotta break you pipsqueaks in." Kala replied as the bigger kid of his group cracked his knuckles.

"Alright let's start with these three." Kala replied, "Kotaku, Sito you two know what to do!"

"Right!" the two stated together as they charged at Kiki and Naruto. "Oh yeah?!" he growled charging first flying out as he slugged Kotaku the smaller of the three. The two knocked each other back falling to the ground.

Kala rushed at Riku who tried to dodge but he was hit and sent skidding back he managed to dodge a couple of hits but now Kala's eyes had veins appearing around them. "Riku!" Kiki cried. She turned and did some hand signs. " _ **Earth Style mud wall Jitsu!"**_ She shouted putting a wall between them as Kala went to strike again Riku groaned smiling at Kiki who then turned to Sito who was charging at her. " _ **Wood style: Wood binding Jitsu!"**_ She shouted summoning roots to tie him down he growled.

"Keh," Kala growled. "Of course you're around you over powered brat. Riku wouldn't be able to save himself if it weren't for you."

"That's not true! And unlike you we're both train constantly!" Kiki snapped. "You maybe a prodigy but you're not invincible!"

"You wanna put your money where your mouth is?" Kala said smirking looking for an excuse to beat down the young Senju. However before he could move Iruka sensei had appeared.

"That's enough Kala!" Iruka growled.

"They started it!" Kala snapped.

"Nice try, you three get out of here if you have time to intimidate my students, you have time to train. Where is Yuzaki sensei?" Iruka growled.

"Who knows, he can't keep up with me." Kala snarked; "Anyway this place it stupid. I'm glad I left it behind let's get out of here." He said as the two got up and following Kala.

"YOU JERKS!" Naruto snarled as he suddenly came too and sat up.

"Naruto, Riku are you two okay?" Iruka asked checking them over.

"Yeah we're okay. Kala didn't seal any Chakra points away thanks goodness." Riku sighed.

"I know I hit one guy!" Naruto stated.

"And you both knocked each other out." Kiki pointed out Naruto grinned at this.

"Let's get you three cleaned up and ready for your Jonin Teacher." Iruka replied with a smile. Lunch was close to ending the three were taken care of. Naruto hung back for a bit.

"Hey Iruka, do you think my Dad will be back soon?" Naruto asked.

"I'm sure he will. The training he's undergoing isn't easy." Iruka stated.

"Yeah, he helped me with some training so I wouldn't fail the Graduation exam again ya know." Naruto replied.

"Yeah it's worked wonders." Iruka replied. "Naruto, I know that you and your dad are different. But I believe you'll be strong one day very strong."

"Ya think so?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah you're a work horse. you put everything you've had into anything you do. You've messed up and everyone jumps on you being the son of the Fourth Hokage and all. You want people to see you as Naruto Uzamaki not just Lord Fourth's son. And that's who you are Naruto Uzamaki!"

Naruto gasped in awe tearing up a little. "That's so nice, I'm gonna be super strong! I won't let you down Iruka Sensei believe it!" he said sobbing a little.

"It's alright." Iruka said smiling. "You better join your squad mates they're waiting for you."

"Right!" Naruto said wiping his eyes and rushing off down the hall.

 **X X X**

Asuma Sarutobi had come and collected Squad Ten. A lady named Kurenai came for Squad eight leaving Squads eleven and Seven.

Soon came, Takuto Hyuga. He was a tall man with hair tied back wearing a head scarf with the forehead protector showing the symbol of the hidden leaf. He was wearing the typical Jonin outfit a navy shirt and pants and sandals with a Chunin vest. "Sakura, Nika, Tiko and Yoshi."

"That's us!" Sakura happily declared as she jumped up. Tiko stood up from where he was sitting where Kiki was petting him and jumped on Nika's shoulder as he passed. Yoshi was quick to follow.

"Bye!" Tiko called as they left. Riku Kiki and Naruto sucked in a breath and waited and waited and a whole hour passed.

"He's late!" Naruto groaned as he looked into the hallway.

"We've just gotta be patient that's all." Riku said.

"But I don't want to be patient ya know!" Naruto groaned.

"He'll be here," Kiki assured. She started to doze off when some clattering quickly woke her and Riku they looked up to see Naruto placing an Eraser into the door propping it so it would fall when someone opened the door.

"There we go!" Naruto grinned admiring his work.

"Naruto what are you doing?" Riku asked in an exasperated tone.

"This is what he gets for being late!" Naruto said grinning.

"Naruto don't do that!" Kiki scolded she quickly jumped up from behind him and tried to pull it down. Soon the two were fighting Naruto trying to put the eraser back while Kiki was taking it away or trying too.

"Hey guys!" Riku called jumping up however the two fell. Causing the eraser to go flying and land on the head of a man with a mask covering the lower half of his face with silver spiky hair his right eye covered by his forehead protector with the Jonin outfit.

"Oh Sensei!" Kiki said sitting up.

"Ha, ha, that's what you get for being late!" Naruto chided only for Kiki to pin him down.

"I am so sorry!" she stated as Riku waved nervously from behind the two.

"Hey there…" he said nervously.

The man put a hand to his chin and hummed. "How can I put this, my first impression of this group; you're a bunch of Idiots."

All three sweat-dropped feeling the burn, " _Harsh…"_ Riku and Kiki thought together.

"Now if you three are done clowning around, we can get down to business" the Jonin replied.

"Right," Kiki and Riku said standing attention. Naruto stood up slowly with a delayed reaction.

They soon went outside on a patio overlooking part of the Village. "Let's start by introducing yourselves." The man replied.

"Why don't you tell us who you are so we know how it works?" Naruto asked.

"Well…I'm Kakashi Hatake. My Likes and Dislikes I don't feel like telling you. Dreams I don't have any. Hobbies I have lots of hobbies." Kakashi replied.

"Kind of vague…" Kiki muttered. "I'm Kiki Senju, Hashirama was my Great Grandfather. And Tobirama was my Great Uncle. Which means I can do this." she added using wood style to make a small bush appear.

"Whoa!" Naruto stated in awe.

"This is my wood style. I like several things and I don't partically dislike anything. I want to be a strong ninja like Hashirama!" She replied.

"I see, and you?" Kakashi asked turning to Riku.

"I'm Riku Uchiha. My dream is to show that the Uchiha clan is just as valuable to the Leaf as any other clan, even the Hyuga. I want to show we're nothing like the ones who left. As for my likes…" he replied looking at Kiki who blushed slightly.

"And your dislikes?" Kakashi asked.

"There's this jerk named Kala Hyuga." Riku replied.

"I see…" Kakashi replied. "And you?" he asked Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzamaki I like Instant Ramen in a cup. But I really like the Ramen made at a place my mom takes me called Ichiraku Ramen. I hate the three minutes you have to wait. My Hobby is eating different ramens and comparing them. And my Dream is to become the greatest Hokage even better than my Dad!"

"That's great Naruto!" Riku cheered.

"Okay good you're each unique and have your own ideas." Kakashi replied nodding. "Our first mission is tomorrow."

"What kind of mission are we going to have?!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"It's a task the four of us will do together." Kakashi vaguely replied.

"What, what, what, what?!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"A Survival exercise," Kakashi said simply that surprised them.

"Survival Exercise?" Kiki asked.

"Hold on I thought we'd be getting a real mission. We did exercises like that in the Academy that's how we got here." Riku replied.

"This is not like your previous training." Kakashi replied.

"So what kind of training is it then?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi let that sink in before he started to laugh. " _That's not a good sign…"_ Riku thought.

"What's so funny Kakashi sensei?" Kiki asked.

"Well, if I tell you, you won't like the answer." Kakashi replied chipperly.

"Okay….try us…" Riku replied.

"Out of the Forty Graduates that just came here only twelve will be accepted as Genin." Kakashi explained. "The other twenty-eight will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is; a make or break pass or fail exam and your chances of failure are at least seventy percent." The kids looked absolutely horrified hearing this. "See I told you, you wouldn't like it."

"That's crazy! We worked really hard to get here ya know!" Naruto yelled.

"What was that Graduation exam for then?" Riku added.

"Oh that, that was just to select Candidates who might become Genin or not." Kakashi casually replied.

"What!?" they all yelped.

"That's how it is I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated spot tomorrow at five am and bring your ninja gear.

" _I'm not going to be weeded out I'll be Hokage someday believe it!"_ Naruto thought.

" _We can't fail…Not after coming this far…"_ Kiki thought to herself.

" _I wonder what he'll have us do…"_ Riku thought clenching his hands that were weaved together.

"Well that's it your dismissed. Oh and you'll want to skip breakfast or else…you'll puke…" he added with half an intimidating tone.

" _This guy must be a thrill at parties."_ Riku sighed in his thoughts.

* * *

 _ **Sitka Riku and Kiki belong to Freelancer1989 Takuto, Tiko Yoshi, Nika Kala his two thug friends and Yuzaki who we'll see later all belong to me canon characters belong to Kishimoto. So yes Minato and Kushina are alive more on that later. As is the Uchiha Clan but another tragic even took the place of the Massacre again more on that later. Tiko is a Bengal Cat**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	3. Kakashi's Ultimate Test

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Idea and some Characters like Kiki Riku and Sitka belong to Freelancer1989_

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 _ **Pass or Fail! Kakashi Sensei's Ultimate Test!**_

The group hiked out to the spot Kakashi had set for them and as promise they didn't have breakfast. They made it there and sat for a bit the sun was just beginning to rise. He'd be here any minute. There was no way he'd be late twice in a row right? Soon the sun rose what was it Nine eight O'clock? Soon however.

"Morning everyone ready for your first day." Kakashi said finally showing up.

"YOU'RE LATE!" the three kids snapped.

"Well a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way." Kakashi replied eye smiling and pointing behind him. They weren't impressed. "Okay so, let's get started" he said a slight cough and pressed a button on a stop clock. "Here we go its set for noon. Your assignment is very simple you just need to take these bells from me. It's as simple as that. Whoever doesn't get it will be tied to one of those posts." He replied pointing to three small posts to the left of them. "And you'll watch while I eat my Lunch in front of you."

The kids inwardly groaned. " _That's why he told us not to eat breakfast…"_ Riku groaned in his mind.

" _He wanted to make it harder on us!"_ Kiki moaned in her mind hearing Naruto moan in despair beside them then it hit her. "Hold on there's three of us and only two bells! Why is that?"

"Well that way only one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission that one goes back to the academy."

" _That's not what I was told…but then again…it might a test for Team work…yeah that's it."_ Riku thought glancing at Kiki who nodded at him he smiled knowing she knew.

"Keep in mind all three of you could flunk out too." Kakashi noted. "You can use any weapon including Shiruken. If you're not prepared to kill me you won't take the bells."

"You really want us to come at you like that?" Kiki asked.

"A Ninja must treat every assignment like life and death." Kakashi simply replied.

Naruto laughed. "You sure about that, you couldn't even dodge that eraser."

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them, losers, lowest scores." Kakashi coldly pointed out.

"Lowest score!?" Naruto snapped.

"That's right, Kiki and Riku got the two highest scores in the class. You Naruto got the lowest. So for a balanced Team we put the highest scores with the lowest." Kakashi said simply. Naruto was growling at him now. "When I say start you can begin."

"Raaaahh!" Naruto roared pulling out a Kunai and rushed forward. But with almost no effort Kakashi grabbed his hand and he swung it tightly then twisted Naruto's arm's around to have his arm behind him.

"Don't be in such a hurry I didn't say start yet." He said letting him go.

" _That was amazing…"_ Riku muttered in his thoughts.

" _He was so fast I didn't even see it…"_ Kiki said to herself in awe.

"Well you did come at me with the full intent to destroy me so. I think I'm beginning to like you guys." Kakashi said. "Get ready!" he said as they got into position. "And start!" and with that they leapt into Action.

Riku didn't waste any time throwing Shuriken Kakashi quickly caught them and seemed unimpressed as Kiki quickly circled around him. "Is that all?" he asked dryly.

" _ **Water style!"**_ Kiki shouted building up air and chakra in her chest and mouth cupping a hand by her mouth. " _ **Water Trumpet Jutsu!"**_ She shouted unleashing unleashing a powerful blast of water Kakashi quickly jumped away.

"Well, points for cooperation." Kakashi said as the two leapt after him.

Riku threw a punch at him however Kakashi quickly blocked it as he landed. Kiki rushed up with a Kunai but Riku quickly grabbed her and knocked her away. Riku rushed forward with a kick that Kakashi once again blocked. Riku then threw a punch and just barely managed to touch the bell before Kakashi threw him aside.

As Riku fell he rolled he started doing a bunch of hand signs. "Are you?!" Kakashi asked in shock as he recognized the hand signals.

" _ **Fire style! Fire ball Jutsu!"**_ Riku shouted an intense ball of fire surged out and hit the spot where Kakashi was Kiki rushed over to his side.

"Did you get him!?" She asked.

"I don't know…" Riku replied when the smoke cleared there was only a scorch mark and nothing else. Kakashi had slipped away.

"Where'd he go!?" Kiki asked looking around she felt a slight rumbling and saw it being strongest around Riku. "Riku look out below you!"

"Wha-" Riku asked looking down only to see a hand come out and grab his ankle. "Oh cra- AHH!" he shouted as he was pulled underground only his head sticking out.

"Well I'll admit you two aren't half bad. But you're going to have to try much harder if you want one of these bells by lunch time." He said eye smiling before jumping off. Kiki used her own Earth Style to free Riku and they managed to find him this time, carefully hiding to try and jump him.

"A Ninja must know how to conceal their movements and hide correctly." Kakashi noted as he glanced around. "Well they've perfected that much they're hidden well." He then heard footsteps and saw Naruto standing on a rock with some ground above him.

"You and me fair and square!" Naruto declared.

"You know compared to the other two, you're a little bit weird." Kakashi noted.

"Yeah well the only weird thing here is your hair cut!" Naruto stated as he rushed at Kakashi but this time he noticed Kakashi reach into his pack he stopped and watched as Kakashi pulled out a book. "Those two utilized the second Ninja art Ninjtisu lets practice the first…Taijutsu." Kakashi said.

"But why are you reading that book!?" Naruto asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why to find out what happens next of course, don't worry about it just make your move. With your weak attacks it won't matter if I'm reading or whatever." Kakashi replied.

"Grrrr…" Naruto snarled and rushed at him charging throwing a punch. "I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU!" he shouted trying to land a kick on Kakashi but he used his free hand to block. Naruto quickly jumped to the front and swung his leg for a kick. But Kakashi merely ducked. "YOU'RE MINE!" he said throwing one last punch but Kakashi disappeared instantly appearing behind Naruto crouched down with his hands curled around each other his two thumbs and index fingers pointing up, alarming Kiki and Riku.

"Wha?!" Naruto yelped in shock.

"You shouldn't let your opponent get behind you all the time." Kakashi simply remarked.

" _What the-?! The Tiger…you can use Fire Jutsu with that!"_ Riku gasped in his thoughts.

" _That's a hand sign to focus Chakra! He's not just toying with Naruto he's going to destroy him!"_ Kiki said horrified in in her thoughts.

"Naruto get out of there!" Riku cried out catching Naruto's attention but he didn't see him Kakashi was more focused on his target.

"Too late…" Kakashi said simply before swinging his arms as hard as he could his eyes sparking. " _ **Leaf village hidden taijustu! A Thousand years of death!"**_ After a poke to the butt Naruto went flying into the water.

The two kids stared unable to process what they had just seen.

"Is that really a Jutsu?" Kiki asked in shock.

"I….don't….know…" Riku muttered his eyes buldging from his sockets. Naruto hit a nearby lake. After that Kakashi nonchalantly pulled out his book.

"Okay where was I?"

 **X X X**

Sitka was busy drinking water after he had just returned from a mission he noticed Iruka gazing up at the Hokage tower. "What's up?" He asked holding his bottle.

"I'm worried about Naruto and his team mates." He muttered.

"They'll be fine, Kiki and Riku are the top students and you said that Naruto was gutsy right?" Sitka asked.

"Well, both of those statements are true but it's Kakashi Hatake I'm worried about." Iruka admitted making Sitka who was taking another drink cough and spit it out.

"Isn't Kakashi an ANBU?!" Sitka asked in shock.

"Was…he was recently given the task of being a Jonin teacher. But there are rumors he's brutal to the students and barely passes any regardless of their skill…" Iruka said. "I was debating on asking Lord Hiruzen about it but-" He heard the door of Hokage tower shut and looked over. His eye twitched before following there was no turning back.

 **X X X**

Riku and Kiki watched carefully their hands inching to reach for their Ninja gear. However a couple of shadows swiftly moved from in the water Kakashi caught them just as Naruto pulled himself from the water.

"What are you doing now you know you won't get Lunch if you don't take a bell from me by noon." Kakashi warned.

"I know I know you told us ya know!" Naruto snapped.

"You look pretty wobbly for someone who's going to surpass the Fourth Hokage." Kakashi said offhandedly.

"You told us not to eat breakfast how can we fight when we're starving to death!?" Naruto complained. Kiki and Riku felt their own stomachs growl.

" _Yeah that's a good point…"_ Kiki thought to herself.

"You just caught me off Guard ya know. I'm so hungry I have almost no energy but that won't stop me believe it!" The water rippled and seven Narutos appeared from the water.

"Whoa…Seven Narutos…" Kiki muttered in awe.

"Where'd he learn a Jutsu like that?!" Riku asked in shock.

"I don't know…" Kiki replied.

"You're over confident Sensei that's why you weren't ready for my Shadow Clone Jutsu attack my best Technique!" Naruto declared.

A couple surrounded Kakashi and charged at him. " _That's an advanced technique and Naruto took out Mizuki with it._ Nice Technique though I don't think you can hold it for every long." Kakashi said. "You can't beat me with this Jitsu…" the he suddenly felt something grab him from behind. "what?!"

"Heh heh…don't let your enemy get behind you good advice sensei. I had one of my Shadow Clones sneak up from behind you ya know real quiet." Naruto said as they grabbed onto Kakashi's legs and arms to hold him in place. The final one jumped into the air. "THIS IS FOR NAILING ME IN THE BUTT EARLIER!" he shouted revving up a punch.

"A diversionary tactic nice!" Riku said.

"He's smarter than he looks!" Kiki said impressed.

As Naruto threw the punch however he found that he was hitting one of his clones. Kakashi had used the Substitution Jutsu to swap himself out with one of Naruto Clones.

"I didn't know the Substitution could be used like that…" Kiki muttered in awe.

"Neither did I…" Riku muttered as Naruto stared the shock quickly dissolving.

"It's you YOU'RE KAKASHI SENSEI YOU USED A JUTSU TO TRASNFORM INTO ME BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted and instantly they began beating each other.

"Kakashi was so smooth he's made Naruto look like a Moron…" Riku muttered.

"Question, why doesn't he just undo the Jutsu?" Kiki shouted.

"Hey Naruto undo the Jutsu!" Riku called.

"Yeah what he said!" Naruto shouted.

"Why didn't you think of that jerk!" said a clone.

"You're the jerk!" Said another.

"Just undo the Jutsu!" three people including RIku and Kiki shouted as Naruto found himself alone and beat up.

"Ow…" Riku muttered eyes wide as Kiki let out a sympathetic hiss.

 **X X X**

Both were in the Hokage's office and had expressed their concerns. Hiruzen was an old man with white hair the color faded completely with age same with his pointed goatee. He wore a white red rimmed robe with a hat with the kanji for fire shadow on it. "I see, you're concerned about the three Genin assigned to him."

"One of them is my brother." Sitka replied simply. Hiruzen didn't say anything he merely handed them a book."

"What's this?" Iruka asked Sitka looking over his shoulder.

"It's a list of all the students Kakashi has ever had those who passed and those who failed." Hiruzen replied.

Iruka opened the book and they both gasped. "This is worse than the rumors."

"No one has ever been passed by him?!" Sitka cried out.

"Many tried but they couldn't live up to Kakashi's standards and were eliminated." Hiruzen replied gravely.

 **X X X**

Naruto growled standing up as Kakashi vanished from field this worried Kiki and Riku knowing he'd pop up from anywhere. "Where is he?!" Naruto asked looking around then saw something and giggled. "He dropped a bell!"

Kiki gasped, "Wait Naruto don't it's a-"instantly Naruto was snagged by a foot sling that tightened around his feet and flung him into the air and then he merely hung by the tree flinging around. "Trap…"

"Heeeyyy what is this let me down!" Naruto yelled as he struggled he even tried at least reaching for the bell however Kakashi took it.

"You should think before you use a jutsu or your opponent will use it against you. Also if the bait is obvious, don't take it." Kakashi replied half snarkingly.

As soon as Kiki and Riku got Naruto down he took off running again. Chasing down Kakashi, who casually disappeared, back into the forest; "Where are you hiding… _pant_ …Kakashi sensei!?" he asked coming to a stop and looking around. "A Ninja must see through deception…" he said in a mocking voice. "Yeah, yeah, yeah; well get ready Kakashi sensei." He said keeping his guard up Kunai ready and looking all around him. "I'm not falling for any more of your tricks."

"Naruto behind you," Kakashi whispered Naruto felt a chill go up his back as he turned and saw the Jonin kneeling behind him he let out a scream Kakashi did a hand sign and Naruto saw a tornado of leaves surge around him he closed his eyes. But when he opened them he somehow found himself alone in the forest.

"Huh uh huh huh!?" he asked looking around nervously he felt something but what? "Where am I?!"

"Naruto…." Said a raspy weak voice he recognized as Riku's and turned to it. Riku was covered in blood impaled with many Kunai limping towards him. "Naruto….please help me…"

Naruto let out a horrified scream he babbled wondering what happened to Riku when another weak voice called his name. He turned to find Kiki badly slashed up and pinned to the tree with several Kunai in her torso. Naruto let out a shriek.

"AAHHHHH WHAT DO I DO WHATDOIDO WHATDOIDO!?" he asked running around frantically until he crashed into a nearby tree and fell back swirls in his eyes. Kakashi was watching from above in a nearby tree.

"Maybe….I went a little over board…." He said to himself. He then jumped down and saw roots surge up and begin tying themselves around him. "What?!" He looked around and saw Kiki using a Wood style Jitsu. "Uh oh!" He began to cut himself free. However a string wrapped around his leg and pulled knocking him off his feet.

"Riku go!" Kiki shouted Riku rushed forward and reached for the bells he almost touched them again this time however a log appeared in Kakashi's place Riku quickly opened his hand and spring into a jump allowing him to land on the ground.

"He slipped away again!" Riku growled as Kiki regrouped with him.

"Hmm well, I won't be able to read Make out Tactics then." Kakashi said quietly to himself disappearing.

"We were so close…" Kiki sighed.

They suddenly found Naruto and helped him up as he was coming too. "Kiki, Riku you're okay!" he said happily.

Riku let out a long sigh. "Okay we're going to have to pin him down to get those bells Naruto do you think you ca-" The bell suddenly rang out. "OH, COME ON!" Riku growled then turned to Naruto Angrily. "Damn it why do you keep running off? And getting caught in every obvious trap Naruto!?" He barked.

"Well I-"Naruto started only for Riku to cut him off.

"Come on even a Blind person could've told you it was a trap!" Riku spat.

"Hey it's not like you didn't get trapped by him!" Naruto argued back.

Riku gave him a half lidded look. "I'm not the one who was hanging upside down in a tree, because I ran for a bell that just happened to be on the ground."

Kiki nodded in agreement. "He's right if you had just held still and worked with us we could've gotten the bells!"

Naruto felt like they were ganging up on him now. "Kakashi sensei said that whoever; didn't get a bell would get sent back to the academy, ya know!"

Riku let out a sigh, he really didn't get it. "Naruto we're on three man squads did you ever wonder why?"

"Uhhhhh….I don't make the rules!" Naruto spat hiding his lack of knowledge or at least trying too.

Kakashi suddenly appeared in front of them. "It's obvious team work." He held up the bells showing that there were once again only two. "I pitted you against each other. There were only two bells because chances are the squad would argue over them and possibly fall apart. I wanted to see if you could overcome it."

They listened as Kakashi's voice darkened. "But none of you fully did this. Riku and Kiki, You both did admittedly well together, but you didn't even attempt to bring Naruto in on the plan." he said they looked at each other knowing that he was right. Kakashi turned his attention to Riku. "And Riku, you blowing up on Naruto like this is not what being on a team is about. And it's a poor quality for a squad to have.

Riku silently nodded.

He turned to Naruto who looked nervous. "As for Naruto, what the hell were you thinking? You cannot just charge in like a bull and hope for the best that is the quickest way of getting yourself and your squad mates killed."

"Awww…" Naruto grumbled regrettably.

Kakashi then turned to Kiki. "Kiki, while you did try to warn Naruto, you only backed up and helped Riku. You didn't try to take the initiative yourself. You admittedly have the least amount of problems of the three, and I get you and Riku are already friends, but you should have tried to include Naruto."

"Yes sensei." She replied.

"You all needed to work as a team to try and get a bell here." Kakashi said. "If you'd all come at me at once, you might have succeeded. Teamwork out in the field can mean the difference between life and death for all of you."

Kiki let out a yelp as a clone of Kakashi appeared behind her and pulled back her hair and held a Kunai to her throat. "Kiki!" Riku cried out.

"Riku kill Naruto or Kiki dies!" the clone commanded Riku gasped in horror as Naruto let out a horrified moan eyes wide and filled with fear. However he quickly let her go and the clone dispersed.

"See the enemy takes a hostage and gives you an impossible choice." Kakashi said coldly as Kiki sighed in relief hand to her chest Naruto slumped over.

"I'm okay…" Kiki muttered to herself as Riku sighed in relief.

"That was scary…" Naruto muttered.

"If this was a serious fight, you wouldn't be okay." Kakashi said. "Did any of you notice the stone over there?" he asked pointing to the left. For the first time they saw a blue crystal shaped stone on a matching platform Riku could see that there were indents on it. "That stone has the names of the villages heroes on it. They were all KIA." Kakashi told them a distinct solemn and almost sad pained tone to his voice.

"You mean…" Riku started.

"They were all killed in action…." Kiki muttered the three stared at Kakashi sympathetically as he stared at the stone.

"The names of my closest friends are on here." He said zeroing in on the names of Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara.

" _Kakashi…"_ Riku thought sadly.

"I should fail you all on the spot but I'll give you one more chance. So eat up but Naruto doesn't get any." Kakashi said.

"What why!?" Naruto yelled in shock.

"Because I said so," Kakashi replied simply in a duh tone. "Here my word is law." He said his voice going back to the cold tone it had. "Any of you break the rules and there **will** be severe consequences."

 **X X X**

"I'm leaving," Iruka said his tone indicate he was far from happy. Sitka stared sadly at the book it was then the door burst open to reveal a red haired woman with a yellow white shirt and green dress her held to the side with a clip. The way she burst in surprised and jump scared both Sitka and Iruka. "Lord Hiruzen!" she shouted rushing up Iruka and Sitka barely managed to dodge as she got in the old man's face.

"I heard Naruto got assigned to Kakashi Hatake's team! And I've been hearing he doesn't pass anybody ya know." She said frantically. Sitka and Iruka looked at each other and slowly and quietly hid the book.

"Why did you assign him a Jonin that wasn't going to give him a fair chance. That's not fair Believe it!" she said.

"Kushina I know you're worried. So are Iruka and Sitka Uchiha." He said calmly. Kushina was able to calm herself and turn to them. "I also know that the forth Hokage is nervous for his son as well as are Kiki and Riku's parents. Whether they pass or fail I ask that you not blame Kakashi. There is a method to his madness." They looked at each other and nodded.

"They'll just have to be the first." Sitka said Lord Hiruzen nodded.

 **X X X**

Naruto's stomach was growling. To keep him from sneaking food he was tied to a post. "This is nothing ya know! I can go for days even weeks without food believe it!" He declared but moaned when his stomach growled louder.

Riku sighed pausing during his meal. "Here." He said passing the rest of his food to Naruto.

"Riku you heard Kakashi sensei!" Kiki said quickly.

"Kakashi's not here right now. Besides he's right. If we want any chance of getting those bells, we need to work as a team. All of us." Riku replied. "We won't have much luck if Naruto is hungry."

Kiki nodded after thinking for a minute. "You're right." She said and he and Riku worked to feed Naruto. However a large burst of Smoke appeared and surged forward. Naruto yelled shaking against the pole trying to free and Riku and Kiki braced themselves storm clouds gathered over them.

" _ **YOU**_!" Kakashi snarled appearing from the smoke. They yelp in fear but stood firm well two of them did anyway. He glowered over them. "YOU…..You….pass." he said happily.

"What?!" they said unable to compute what just happen how quickly it shifted to the word pass.

"Huh?" Riku asked blinking his eyes as big as saucers feeling his heart thump crazily in his chest.

Kiki blinked dumbfounded. "I don't get it."

"All the other teams did exactly what I said and got caught in every trap." Kakashi explained. "A Ninja must see through deception. Those who break the rules are scum this true. But those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum." They were letting it process and a sense of relief and excitement fell over them. "Congratulations, you've all passed this. Tomorrow we really get started with your ninja training." Kakashi told them happily.

"Can someone untie me already?" Naruto called from the post.

"I got you!" Riku said freeing him. "Hey sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"It's okay." Naruto cheerfully replied. "WE'RE NINJA!" he said as they all cheered. Tomorrow their training would begin.

* * *

 _ **Thanks to Freelancer1989 for writing some of the Dialogue and doing a final check on the chapters!**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	4. Journey to the Land of Waves!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Idea and several Characters belong to FreeLancer1989_

* * *

 _ **Prove your Skill! Journey to the Land of Waves!**_

The sun rose high everyone was as still as a rock. They watched from their positions carefully in a deep forest.

" _This is Riku I'm at point B."_

" _Kiki I'm at point C."_ They called over the radio static.

" _This is Naruto I'm at point A Believe it!"_

" _You're Slow Naruto."_ Kakashi chastised before noticing a shift in the brush. " _The Target has moved follow it!"_ Instantly the three young Ninja took off running at high speed. The Target had stopped in a clearing.

"Over there!" Naruto hissed running ahead to a tree for cover, Kiki and Riku stopping behind trees nearby.

" _What's your distance from the Target?"_ Kakashi asked.

"Five Meters, I'm ready just give me the signal." Riku whispered back into his com. The Device was looped into his right ear with a small mic on the collar around his neck and a wire connected to it. Kiki and Naruto had similar devices.

"I'm ready too ya know." Naruto responded.

"So Am I." Kiki replied.

" _Okay….Now!"_ Kakashi called. The three Darted out and dove for the Target. Naruto managed to wrap his arms around it; A Brown cat with black stripes on its head and a ribbon on its right ear.

"I've got him, I've got him!" Naruto called the cat slashed up his face Kiki quickly pulled it off him and the cat instantly relaxed in her arms.

"Aww it's okay did the mean Ninja hurt you?" Kiki cooed as the cat purred letting out a small meow in response. Naruto wasn't impressed.

"IT TRIES TO CLAW OUT MY EYES AND **I'M** THE MEAN ONE?!" Naruto screamed in irritation grinding his teeth a little glaring hatefully at the cat.

" _Can you verify a ribbon on its right ear?"_ Kakashi asked.

"Affirmative we've got a positive I.D." Riku replied into the Com device as Hate Fire burned off Naruto as his glare bore into the cat that was innocently rubbing up against Kiki's neck and chest.

"Right," Kakashi said from his Position, "lost pet Tora Captured: Mission Accomplished."

" _CAN'T WE GET A MISSION THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE CHASING CATS YA KNOW!? I HATE CATS BELIEVE IT!"_ Naruto screamed into the com making Kakashi flinch and fall over a little as several years of hearing was effectively shaved off his right ear.

"Ow Naruto too loud!" Riku hissed glaring.

"You're gonna hurt our ears and I think you blew out my right one." Kiki whined rubbing the side of her head.

 **X X X**

A large fat lady with lots of Makeup and rings hugged Tora very tightly. "Oohh my poor Tora mommy was so worried about you, you naughty little fuzzball!" She said nuzzling it and squishing it Tora's eyes were literally popping out of his skull.

"Ha, ha, ha, stupid cat serves you right. It deserves to be squashed." Naruto laughed.

"I don't think so..." Kiki mumbled feeling sorry for the cat.

"Geeze no wonder he ran away…" Riku stated staring at how uncomfortable the cat was. The Lady went off and paid as they stood attention. Hiruzen looked over a sheet of paper.

"For Team Seven's next mission, we several available tasks; among them, babysitting the Chief Counselor's three year old. Helping his wife do, the shopping, digging up Potatoes-"

"Nooo!" Naruto immediately groaned. "I want a real mission something challenging and exciting come on old man!" he shouted crossing his arms.

"He's right we need something much more challenging. This is academy stuff." Riku agreed.

Kakashi sighed, he looked at Kiki thank heavens she hadn't said anything but she agreed he could see it in her eyes. " _Sigh I knew this was coming."_ He inwardly groaned.

"How dare you!" Iruka shouted, "You're all new Genin with no experience! You're started out with simple missions like everyone else to develop your skills and prove yourself!" Iruka spat.

"Yeah but babysitting, How is that a mission?!" Riku asked Kakashi glared at him making him shut up. Naruto was about to open his mouth but Kakashi whacked him on the head slightly making him shut up as well.

"Naruto, Riku, Kiki. It seems none of you understand the tasks you've been given. Many requests come into our village from babysitting to Assassination. Each mission is recorded analyzed and ranked depending on their difficulty. S, A, B, C and D. We ninja are ranked as well. Hokage, at the top. Jonin, Chunin, then Genin. We assign each ninja a mission based on the appropriate skills. B and C ranks are usually given to Chunin C and D ranks are Genin and S and A ranks are reserved for Jonin. If the mission is successful you'll receive a fee that supports the village." Hiruzen explained. "As you are untrained Genin beginning down your Ninja path. You'll be given D rank Missions of course."

"Rrrrmmmg come on I'm not a little kid anymore none of us are! We're Ninja now and we want a Ninja Mission." Naruto stated crossing his arms and puffing, Riku nodding in agreement.

"He's right we need a chance to really prove ourselves!" Kiki agreed.

" _And there it is…."_ Kakashi sighed in his mind hanging his head. " _I'll definitely hear about this later…"_

Hiruzen chuckled as Iruka softened up impressed by their determination. "You want us to know that you're not children anymore eh? So be it since you're all so determined I'm going to give you a C ranked mission."

"Alright!" Riku cheered.

"You'll be body guards." Hiruzen briefed.

"Really who is it a princess or some busily counselor?" Naruto asked.

" _He's in the ball park."_ Riku thought.

"Don't be so impatient I'll send him in now. Send him in." Hiruzen smirked as the door opened revealing an older man with grey spiky hair and a goatee with a black sleeveless tunic and brown pants wearing a belt and a towel over his shoulders wearing a brown wooden hat tied under his chin that was pointed and curled out. He was guzzling down a bottle of Whiskey. "What the- a bunch of snot nose brats." He said with a slight slur. "And you the short one with the idiotic look on your face ya really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

Naruto laughed but his mind quickly caught up. "Short one?" he asked he then evaluated the heights of he and his teammates in his head and screamed holding his head in horror when he realized the man was talking about him. He then instantly rushed for him while Riku held him back holding on to his collar with little difficulty.

"Our job is to protect him _not_ throttle him." Riku sighed as Naruto babbled about wanting a piece of him and how he would destroy him; and trying to taunt the man into a fight with him.

"I am Tazuna a master bridge builder." He said composing himself. "I need to return to my country. I am creating a bridge that will change our world. And I expect you to get me there safely even if it means giving up your lives."

 **X X X**

The group left the village after getting supplies and headed out. Naruto let out a proud happy yell. "What are you so excited about? We've barely left." Kiki said with a slight giggle.

"This is my first time leaving the village I'm a traveler now you know!" Naruto said happily looking at all the forest stretching around him.

"Geeze how are you gonna handle when we actually put some distance between us and the village." Riku sighed goodheartedly shaking his head.

"Hey am I supposed to trust this runt with my life? He's a Joke!" Tazuna growled pointing at Naruto. Naruto heard that last part and the laughter instantly stopped. As a glare facing away from them was formed on his face.

Kakashi chuckled he's with me and I'm a Jonin so you'll be fine." Kakashi assured.

" _This runt is a joke this runt is a joke!"_ Tazuna's words ran through Naruto's mind. Riku couldn't help but notice that Tazuna had nothing to say to him and Kiki maybe he felt safer with them because he believed they were at least semi competent. Naruto sharply turned around.

"Hey! Never insult a Ninja it's a big mistake! And I'm a great Ninja ya know! Someday I'm gonna be the greatest Hokage. Remember the name Naruto Uzamaki!" He declared proudly.

Tazuna stared at him for a few minutes and took a swig from his bottle. "Hokage are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless." He replied curtly. "I'll sprout wings the day _you_ become Hokage!"

"Shut up! I'm gonna do whatever it takes to be Hokage ya know! And when I become the greatest Hokage everyone will know who I am! And you'll have to admit that I'm the best!" Naruto spat.

"Hmph you could become Hokage ten times over. And to me you'll still be a puny loser." Tazuna replied simply walking off as Naruto charged at him.

"Let me at him, let me at him, come here, I'll make you pay! Let me go! One shot gimme one shot!" Naruto shouted trying to get free of Kakashi's grip this time.

"That's enough Naruto he's our ward not our enemy!" Kakashi warned as they were watched from the trees by two figures who, went on ahead.

The group continued on their way for some time. Pretty silent until Kiki broke the silence. "Uhh Mr. Tazuna you're village is the land of waves right?"

"Yeah what of it?" Tazuna curtly asked.

"Aren't there Ninja in that country Kakashi Sensei?" Kiki asked.

As Kakashi walked he explained images of a world map popped into their minds as he spoke."No there are no Ninja in the Land of waves. But in other Countries there are other Hidden Villages each with their own Customs and Cultures where Ninja reside. To the people of this continent the existence of Shinobi villages means strength. Military Strength; this is how they defend themselves and protect the balance of power between other countries. They have no Government; they're independent and have Equal status. Now a small island like the land of waves has protection from the sea. So there's no need for a Ninja village. The Five Ancient lands that possess Ninja Villages are the lands of Fire, Water, Lightning Wind and Earth. They occupy vast amounts of territory and together they're known as the Five Great Shinobi Nations."

"Right," Riku said quietly.

"The Land of Fire has the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The Land of Water has the Village hidden in the Mist; The Land of Lightning the Village Hidden in the clouds; The Land of Wind the Village hidden in the Sand and the Land of Earth the Village Hidden in the stones."

"The One Village System was invented by my Great Grandfather Hashirama when he founded the Village Hidden in the Leaves other countries made their's based off that System." Kiki happily recited. "Only the leaders of these Villages get the title Kage which means Shadow. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage; and together they govern thousands of Ninja including us. In other words Lords Third and Fourth are really important."

"That's correct, as expected from the Great Granddaughter of the First Hokage." Kakashi said very pleased.

"Too much!" Naruto moaned holding his head which had steam flowing out of his ears.

"Well you've gotta know this stuff if you're gonna be Hokage right?" Riku encouraged.

"You're assuming he doesn't get himself killed or if he even goes up a rank." Tazuna replied from in front of them. Naruto instantly lashed out Riku holding him back again.

"Lemme at him Riku, one shot's all I need. Come here you I'll make you pay believe it! Lemme go Lemme go!" Naruto shouted thrashing to get at Tazuna.

" _Why'd you piss him off old man? Why?"_ Riku growled half groaning in his thoughts eye twitching as he held Naruto back.

"Well anyway, there are no Ninja battles in a C ranked mission so you guys have nothing to worry about." Kakashi assured. Kiki looked over at Riku who was finally letting go a slightly tired Naruto who had given up on attacking Tazuna for the third time.

"If that's the case, then Naruto's going to be his only problem…" Kiki replied simply.

 **X X X**

They continued on. Vast canopies of trees passing by as they walked. Even crossing a bridge at one point from what Riku could tell they were headed south east they passed a pair of puddles on the ground. As they left them behind however they turned Dark cloaked figures with face masks they instantly attacked revealing brown camo outfits underneath. One threw the other unleashing a chain as did the one on the ground and quickly entangled Kakashi with it.

"What?!" He yelped as he tried to get free.

"Oh no!" Riku cried out as the events caught his and the others attention. They pulled and instantly Kakashi was torn to shreds to their horror.

"KAKASHI SENSEI!" Naruto hollered then felt them right behind him close enough and low enough that he could feel their breaths on the back of his neck as the hairs there stood up on end.

"You're next." One sneered Naruto watched in horror as the chain went flying towards him. It was then that Kiki and Riku sprung into action. First Riku threw a Shuriken pinning the chain to a tree. They looked at the two in surprise. Kiki then followed it up with a Kunai making it stuck.

"I can't get loose!" one of them grunted Riku landed as did Kiki who did hand signs having wooden beams shoot from the ground hitting the two in their stomachs they let out grunts of pain and they disconnected from their chains. And quickly bolted for a Target; One rushed at Naruto the other rushed towards Tazuna.

"Get behind me! _**Wood style Wood dome!"**_ She shouted. The Dome was half formed. The Ninja with a clawed hand rushed forward hoping to get there before it closed Riku gasped and rushed around to the back where the dome was finishing; in order protect her from the attack. However before he could Kakashi appeared holding his arm out for the man to crash his throat into. He had already rescued Naruto and knocked out the other one.

"Hi." He said simply.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Kiki cheered as Riku sighed in relief.

"Wait wasn't he?" Naruto asked turning to the pile that had fallen before them. But found it all to be nothing but wood, "a Substitution Jutsu!"

"Naruto sorry I didn't help you right away. I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that." Kakashi replied as he dragged the two attacking Ninja closer to his Team Mates.

"Nice work Riku very smooth you too Kiki. You both were completely in Sync." Kakashi congratulated.

Tazuna sighed in relief he had been saved after all. Naruto however felt his heart sink and stared in awe and envy at his team mates. " _I was so useless and those two were so cool! Like they had done this a thousand times, they also look so calm. Not a scratch on either of them! They had to save me! I've gotta catch up I've gotta!"_

"Naruto you okay?" Riku asked.

"I think so." Naruto lamely replied standing up.

"He's not." Kakashi said still holding the two ninja. "Those Ninja had poison in their claws we have to take it out of you quickly Naruto."

"WAH?!" Naruto yelped panicked.

"How!?" Riku cried.

"We have to open the wound. It's in your blood Naruto so **don't** move around! That'll make it spread!" Kakashi warned. "By the way Mr. Tazuna." He said catching Tazuna off guard.

"Yeah?" He asked nervously.

"We need to talk." Kakashi said in a dark tone as he tied up the two Ninja that had attacked them earlier.

"Who are they?" Kiki asked.

"They're Chunin from the Hidden Mist Village. Their specialty is relentless attack. They'll keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice." Kakashi explained.

"How did you know of our Ambush?" One of them asked.

"A puddle? on a clear day when it hasn't rained in weeks?" Kakashi asked in a duh tone implying he had taken note of it.

"In that case why'd you leave the fighting to the Genin?" Tazuna asked.

"I could've taken them out quickly. But then I wouldn't have learnt anything." Kakashi replied. "I had to know who their target was." Kakashi said throwing a dark look at Tazuna. "And what they were after." The tone in his voice reminded the kids of the Jonin that had tested them the other day.

They all looked at him waiting an explanation. "And what are you getting at?" Tazuna spat.

"I wanted to know if they were attacking us Ninja attacking Ninja. Or if they were attacking you: the Master bridge builder." Kakashi replied simply. It hit Kiki instantly that after the chains had snapped one of them B-lined for Tazuna. "When you put in your request you asked for standard protection from Robbers or highway men. You didn't say there were Ninja looking for you coming after you. If we knew this it would be a B rank mission or higher our task was to get you to your destination and protect you while you finish your bridge. If we knew this we would've staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B Rank mission. And while I'm sure you have your reasons lying to us in unacceptable." He stated very firmly. "We are now beyond the scope of this mission."

"This is beyond our current training right now." Riku sighed. "Wait Naruto's wound we need to get it treated."

"Naruto's hand could be a problem I guess we'll have to go back to the village." Kakashi replied a little off handedly. Naruto growled he pulled out his Kunai and dug it deep into the poisoned hand blood spluttered out and onto the ground. Everyone stared in shock as he gritted his teeth and stood his ground.

"Why, Why am I so…ugggh"

"Naruto your hand!" Kiki cried out.

"I worked hard to get here! Training as much as I could anything to get stronger! I won't run away or have someone else rescue me! And I'll become the strongest Hokage! On this wound I make this pledge! Bridge builder I will finish this mission and protect you with this Kunai knife!" Naruto declared. He turned to the shocked Tazuna. "I'll be fine believe it!" For that moment Kiki and Riku stared in awe of him he had spirit and guts although Kakashi broke the silence.

"Naruto uhh that was really cool how you got the poison out and all but if you lose any more blood you're going to die." Kakashi said simply. There was silence and Naruto started shivering on the spot Kakashi slid closer eye smiling nervously. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now seriously."

"AAHHHHH! NONONONONO! I'm too young for it to all end, like this no, no, no, HEELLLLP!"

"Show me your hand." Kakashi sighed as Riku, Kiki and Tazuna watched.

"He makes me think of a crazier Sitka." Riku muttered as they watched the panicked Blonde.

Kakashi was now holding Naruto's hand and assessing the wound however he noticed an orange glow encompass the gash and was sowing it up quickly. " _It's already healing could it be…"_

"Ummm," Kakashi looked up to see Naruto shivering staring intently at him. "You've got a really intense look on your face am I okay?"

"Yeah you'll be fine." Kakashi replied wrapping it up in a bandage.

 **X X X**

"You failed…YOU FAILED?!" shouted a voice in a large acorn shaped tree house that had many bridges attached to it in a deep forest; "What is this amateur hour!?" Snarled a normal pitched but cruel voice, "I paid big money for you I thought you were supposed to be hot shot assassins!" said the owner of the voice a short man with spiky brown hair and glasses and a very thin non-connecting mustache. He was talking to a large well-built man with a forehead protector white and brown camo arm covers and boots with blue ninja pants. He had belts over his chest to anchor his large sword which was more blade than anything else. It also had a hole in it and a semi-circle near the hilt. He had dark hair and cold eyes and his mouth was wrapped in war stripes.

In response he merely tightened his grip on the sword. "Stop your whining." He said effortlessly lifting the sword and pointing it at the man's throat his eyes widening underneath the dark lenses of his glasses. "This time I'll go by myself. And I'll be the last thing he ever sees."

"You…erherm, you sure about that? Apparently Tazuna has a high level Ninja guarding and since your first attempt failed they'll be expecting you back." The man replied nervously. "They'll be waiting watching it'll take someone with very advanced skills."

"Who do you think you're talking too?" The swordsmen asked with a gruff cold tone. "I am Zabuza Momochi The Demon of the Hidden Mist."

 **X X X**

Now the group, were on a boat cloaked by thick fog nothing but the sound of water lapping up against the boat. Which while had a motor was being paddled they weren't taking any chances. Now that it had become clear that Ninja would be after Tazuna as well, they couldn't take any chances. Naruto sniffed the air a little.

Riku looked around seeing nothing but sea. " _This fog is so think you can't see a thing. I wonder how he's able to find his way so well?"_ Kiki thought to herself looking at the boatman wearing green clothes and the same pointed hat as Tazuna.

"The Bridge isn't far now. Our destination is just ahead, The Land of Waves." The boatmen said to them. Eventually breaking through the fog was a large steel and concrete bridge. It had made its way pretty far but they could clearly see huge metal wires and support sticking out and construction vehicles on it.

Naruto beamed in awe. "Whoa it's huge!" he shouted.

"Quiet I told you no noise why do you think we're traveling like this?!" The boats man scolded. "Cutting off the Engine and rowing moving through the dense fog." He said as the boat moved past it. Naruto was quick to cover his mouth in apology Kiki and Riku looked at each other in slight shock. Kakashi however had something to say.

"Mr. Tazuna, before we reach the pier I want to ask you something. The men who are after you I need to know why. If you don't I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore." Kakashi threatened quietly.

Tazuna had his head hung slightly but he spoke. I have no choice but to tell you. No I want you to know the truth. Like you said this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The man after my life is a short man who castle long and deadly shadow." Tazuna began.

"A deadly shadow who is it?" Kakashi asked.

"You know him at least I'm sure you've heard of him; One of the wealthiest men in the world the shipping magnet Gato." Tazuna said.

"What of Gato Transport?" Kakashi asked. "He's a business man everyone knows him."

"He's a business Tycoon this is true. But right below the surface with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over the businesses and nations. He sells drugs and contraband using gangs in ninja. It was one year ago when Gato set sight our land. He used his vast wealth to take control of our ships and businesses. Anyone that stood in his way simply disappeared. In an island nation a man who controls the sea controls everything; Finance, Governments, our very lives but there's one thing he fears. The bridge when it's complete it will connect us to the main land and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder." Tazuna explained.

"So you're standing in his way." Kiki deduced.

"And those two we fought in the forest were working for Gato." Riku added as Naruto nodded slowly.

"That's right." Tazuna replied.

Naruto tilted his head slightly. "Okay but can you really build that big thing by yourself?" he asked in slight disbelief.

"It Ain't just me kid and that's Master Bridge builder to you." Tazuna stated curtly.

"Tazuna if you know how dangerous he was and that he would send ninja after you why did you hide this from us?" Kakashi asked.

"The Land of Waves is a poor and impoverished nation. Even our nobles have a little money the common people building this bridge they can't afford an A or B rank mission. If you end this mission, there will be no bridge; they'll assassinate me before I reach home." Tazuna said grimly. Team Seven stared at him a little conflicted. "But don't feel bad about that." Tazuna assured nonchalantly. "Of course my sweet little grandson will be upset he'll cry." Tazuna began in a high-pitched whiney voice. "Grandad, I want my Grandad! Oh and my daughter will condemn the Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village and blame you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow. But you shouldn't worry about that it's not your fault." Tazuna assured.

Riku's eye twitched, " _because that's not, guilt-tripping or black mail at all_." he thought with an annoyed look on his face.

Kiki leaned in close to Riku and whispered. "He's really laying it thick isn't he?" she asked.

"Yeah," Riku replied in a whisper.

"Well I guess we have no choice but to keep guarding you." Kakashi said with a slight sweat-drop.

"Oh I'm very grateful." Tazuna said happily.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto sighed, eyes closed.

"Well, we did ask for a real mission." Riku pointed out.

"Yeah but this isn't what I had in mind." Kiki admitted. Tazuna turned back to the camera and put up a Victory pose which Kiki saw and puffed a cheek in irritation at.

"We're approaching the shore." The Boatman said as they entered a tunnel and had circled around the bridge. "Tazuna we're very fortunate no one has noticed us."

"Nice work." Taunza thanked as they made it through. Soon a village floating on the water came into view. Most of the houses were on docks just above the water some of the Trees were high with their roots showing in the water. There were some hills where the land was and a few palm trees. The houses looked a bit old and shoddy though. They climbed out the boat and turned back to the boatman.

"This is as far as I go good luck."

"Yes thank you for taking such a risk." Tazuna said gratefully.

"Just be careful" He said turning on the motor and speeding off.

"Okay take me home and I mean get me there in one piece." Tazuna commanded.

"Right," Kakashi replied and sighed to himself looking exasperated, Kushina would not like this at all but that was the least of his worries. " _The next Ninja they send won't be Chunin they'll be Jonin. Elite Ninja with deadly skills."_ He felt guilty putting the kids in danger.

Naruto was watching Riku and Kiki walk together and felt himself rubbed the wrong way. " _I'll prove myself this time believe it!"_ He rushed ahead and began looking around for enemy ninja that might have been there. He suddenly heard a noise. "Over there!" he said throwing a Kunai into the bushes surprising everyone.

"What are you doing?!" Riku muttered in shock expecting something to come out. Tazuna started growling angrily.

"Heh, just a mouse," Naruto said smugly.

"Naruto those are Kunai knives they're dangerous don't throw them so recklessly." Kakashi said in a slight panic.

"AND STOP FREAKING ME OUT YOU SCRUFFY LITTLE DAWRF!" Tazuna shouted.

" _All we're missing is the Neon sign."_ Riku sighed.

"Is someone hiding over there!?" Naruto asked looking around "No there? There? Maybe there…." He said as Kakashi turned to the left as Naruto threw a Kunai. "THERE!" he said throwing the second one.

"Naruto, for crying out loud, will you stop doing that already?!" Riku shouted whacking him. Naruto held his head in pain.

"But someone really is following us believe it!" Naruto argued.

"Oh my goodness, will you relax. You throwing kunai all over the place is just gonna attract attention even if someone is out here!" Kiki snapped.

"But-" Naruto half whimpered as Kakashi checked out where the second Kunai was thrown Kiki followed and gasped in horror. The Kunai was embedded in a tree right between the ears of a Rabbit who looked like his heart had only just started again after stopping from fright.

"Naruto you dolt, ya could have killed the poor thing!" Kiki shouted in concern for the creature picking up. Naruto cried out in horror.

"Ahhh I'm sorry little rabbit I'm sorry!" Naruto said waterfall tears falling down his face as he tried to hold it but Kiki wouldn't let him turning away angrily.

"Why does a Rabbit have a white coat all the way down here?" Riku asked.

"That's a Snow Rabbit and wild ones have a brown coat in the summer to better hide from predators. This one was raised indoors away from the light, for Substitution." Kakashi said darkly making Riku freeze in fear.

" _Is someone already here?"_ He asked himself gulping as Zabuza watched from the tree.

" _No wonder the Demon Brothers failed in their mission. It's the Copy Ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village Kakashi of the Sharingan."_ He thought to himself gripping his sword tighter. One leap and the sword flew and the ringing instantly hit Kakashi's ears.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" he shouted and everyone instantly did so as the sword flew right over their heads the rabbit escaping from Kiki as the sword flew into a tree.

"Holy! What the hell was that?!" Riku yelled voice cracking.

Kiki got up and turned and gasped with fear on her face. "Um, who is that?" she asked pointing to Zabuza on the tree.

"Zabuza Momochi, a Rogue Ninja from the Hidden Mist Village." He said noting the mark in his forehead protector marking out the symbol.

Naruto charged but Kakashi blocked him. "You're in the way. Stay back." Kakashi said simply.

"But why?" Naruto asked.

"He's not like those other Ninja he's in a whole other league." Kakashi warned. "If he's our opponent I'll need this." He said lifting up the side of his forehead protector covering his right eye. Revealing a bright red eye with three black Tomoe around the Pupil.

"Kakashi Of the Sharingan." Zabuza said simply as Riku stared in shock.

" _Sharingan that's my clan's Kekkei Genkei it's not possible unless…."_ Riku thought to himself but Zabuza broke his train of thought.

"It's a shame but you'll have to hand over the old man." Zabuza said coldly looking at them with a cold glare as Kakashi glared back the two faced off the Sharingan glowing in the shadow of the leaves.

* * *

 _ **You know what I was thinking when Tazuna was playing those cards when I first watched this "FOUL FREAKING FOUL!" in Josh Scorcher's voice check him out on Youtube. Thanks to Freelancer for checking over the Chapter and helping me with a couple changes**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	5. Kakashi Vs Zabuza

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up idea and some Characters by Freelancer1989 and special thanks to him for writing some of the Dialogue in the last chapter if I forgot And special thanks to him for editing this one!_

* * *

 _ **The Assassin of the Mist VS the Sharingan Warrior!**_

 _"Whoa his eye what is that?!"_ Naruto asked in his mind as they stared in shock at Kakashi's back.

" _Is he an Uchiha too?"_ Kiki asked in her mind.

" _Sharingan…."_ Tazuna muttered in his mind.

"Now quick, Monji formation," Kakashi shouted to them. "Protect the Bridge Builder and stay out of this fight! I taught you Team Work now it's time for you to use it."

"Looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action…." Zabuza smirked turning to look at Kakshi. "This is an honor."

"Everyone keeps saying Sharingan, Sharingan, what is it exactly?!" Naruto babbled.

"It's a rare power that resides in the eyes. A Ninjutsu known as a Dojutsu can see through any Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu comprehend it and send it right back at the attacker. But there's a lot more to the Sharingan a lot more." Riku explained looking over at him.

"You've got it right boy but you've only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyze any jutsu and copy it right to the smallest detail." Zabuza added as he did Mist began to cloak the area making it so thick it was even blocking out the sun a little. "As for you Jonin, the assassination of the Hidden Mist; we had a standing order to eliminate you on sight. Your profile was in our bingo book it called you the Man who copied over a thousand Jutsu Kakashi, the Copy Ninja." He said as Kakashi glared into him unmoving.

"Are you really such a famous Ninja?" Kiki asked. " _But how could he have gotten the Kekkei Genkai of Riku's clan."_

"That is the coolest!" Naruto happily said.

"Enough talk I need to exterminate the old man." Zabuza said scaring Tazuna at that point the three Genin formed a tight circle around him Kunai up close to their chests.

"So I'll have to eliminate you first eh Kakashi?" Zabuza sneered he pulled his large sword of the tree and took off running they scowered for any sight of him and heard him running on the water.

"Over there!" Naruto stated turning his head slightly. Kiki and Riku however had a clear view of him.

"He's standing on the water!" she cried out as Zabuza did a hand sign the Mist building up all around him.

"He's building up a huge amount of Chakra!" Kakashi said in warning.

" _ **Water Style, Hidden Mist Jutsu!"**_ He called disappeared into the mist all that was left where he was, was a falling leaf that gently fell onto the water.

"Where'd he go?" Naruto asked as Kakashi walked forward.

"He'll come after me first," Kakashi warned.

"Who is he?" Riku asked.

"Zabuza Momochi ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Squad he's a master of the Silent Killing Technique." Kakashi explained.

"Silent killing," Naruto muttered in awe and fear.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant without sound or warning of any kind." Kakashi replied as the Genin imaged Zabuza killing Shinobi with such a technique in his head. "It's so fast you pass from this life without realizing what's happened. The Sharingan can't fully neutralize it so don't let your guard down." he said making his students go a bit more on edge.

"Well, if we fail we only lose our lives." Kakashi grimly joked.

"Not funny." Kiki deadpanned but suddenly the mist began to get thicker and thicker now completely blocking out the sun.

"It's getting thicker and thicker." Naruto yelped.

"The Land of Waves is surrounded by Ocean, such mists are ever present." Tazuna warned. Kiki gasped as Kakashi was blocked out of their sight.

"Kakashi!" Riku cried out his voice choking it to a lower volume.

"Eight points…."

"That's…." Riku gasped eyes widening in fear.

"Spine, Larynx, Lungs, Liver, Jugular, Subclavian Artery, Kidneys, Heart. Now which will be my Kill point?" Zabuza asked sadistically his voice sending chills down the five spines he was locking onto.

Kiki could see Kakashi in the mist focusing enough. He did a hand sign blowing away some of the mist making him clear for the other four to see. Everyone could see the intensity. She could feel a dark malicious intent all around her, it emanated from both Zabuza and their Sensei. One movement of the eye one short breath would take on instant death and it was surrounding her.

" _What is this?"_ Kiki muttered trying not to breath but was desperate too. She could feel air seeping into her lungs but burn at the same time. " _It's so intense….this is Blood lust. I've never felt anything like this…I can sense it from both of them It's so….It's so horrible…so…Chilling.….Is this what terror is like…is this what Hell is like? I can't…..It's too much….it's too much!"_ She cried in her head it was now spinning. " _If this doesn't stop I'll go insane…Make it stop, make it stop!"_

"Kiki!" Kakashi voice shouted cutting her free she looked up at him. "Calm down! I'll protect you with my life. All of you," he turned to her with a smile. "I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me."

Kiki smiled at this calming down her lungs stopped burning but then…"I wouldn't be so sure." Zabuza had appeared right between the formation to the absolute shock and horror of the three Genin and Zabuza. "it's over…"

Kakashi turned seeing Zabuza in his eye and rushed forward and stopped Zabuza as the other four scattered either being pushed apart or jumping away. Kakashi had dug his Kunai deep into Zabuza's chest. However what poured out onto the ground wasn't blood it was water. This was a water clone…the real one was materializing.

"Sensei behind you!" Naruto cried out pointing but Zabuza had already swung his sword.

"Die!" he shouted cutting Kakashi in half, grinning insanely to himself but then this Kakashi had become water as well. " _A Water Clone, it can't be…"_ He thought thinking back. " _Even in the mist he saw through my illusion and copied it in an instant."_ As he looked at the puddle he thought was Kakashi the real one materialized and placed his Kunai near Zabuza's throat.

"Don't move." Kakashi growled. "Now it's over." Everyone watched in awe.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered as Kiki and Riku smiled in both relief and amazement. However Zabuza started laughing.

"Over?" Zabuza chuckled. "You don't get it. Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation I'll never be defeated by a copycat like you." He said making Kakashi growled. "You are full of surprises though, you had already made your water clone when you made that little speech." He replied thinking back to when Kakashi calmed Kiki down. "Very skillfully executed you made your clone say those words to draw my attention while you hid in the mist waiting for my move." Zabuza said in a slightly impressed tone.

"But that's not enough to fool me!" Another Zabuza said appeared from behind Kakashi. The one he had his Kunai on dissipated into a puddle. Everyone gasped.

"That one's a clone too!" Riku cried out as Zabuza swung his sword Kakashi just managed to dodge the giant blade crashed into the ground Zabuza merely switched hands and kicked Kakashi and sent him flying rushing after him. He gasped and stopped in his tracks noting the spikes on the ground.

" _I can't believe Kakashi sensei was kicked into the air like that…"_ Kiki gasped in her thoughts.

" _Zabuza has great physical strength too…"_ Riku thought to himself.

"Trying to slow me down eh, well that won't work!" he said disappearing into the water.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto shouted, Kakashi suddenly emerged from the water but noticed something strange.

"This isn't normal water, its dense heavy…." He muttered as Zabuza appeared behind him and started weaving hand signs.

"You fool…" Zubuza grinned as he activated the jutsu. " _ **Water Style Water Prison Jutsu!"**_

"No!" Kakashi gasped as water sphered around him trapping him inside. It was swirling like a sphere around him while Zabuza's hand was inside holding it steady. " _Escaping into the water…bad mistake…"_ He growled in his thoughts.

"This Prison is made of water, but stronger than steel, so much for the great Kakashi. I'll deal with you later." He said turning to the other four on the shore. "But first your little friends will have to be eliminated. _**Water Clone Jutsu!"**_ He shouted making a single hand sign. Naruto looked at it horrified as it took shape. Riku's eyes widened things had taken a horrible turn as Zabuza laughed. "You think wearing a headband makes you a Ninja?" He sneered mockingly. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't phase, you. Then you _may,_ be called a Ninja. When you've become so deadly that you been entered into my Bingo book; then you _may_ have earned the title Ninja." Zabuza said through his clone as he activated the hidden mist Jutsu again. "To call upstarts like you Ninja is a joke. You're just a bunch of brats!"

" _He disappeared again!"_ Naruto yelled in his mind as he and the others looked desperately around for them. Suddenly Naruto was kicked hard, his headband flying off.

"Naruto!" Riku and Kiki shouted before they were kicked as well, their own headbands flying towards Naruto. Zabuza slammed his foot down on all of them.

"Listen to me, take the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight." Kakashi yelled as the team got up. "He's using all of his power to hold me in this prison so he can only fight you with his water clone. If you get away he can't follow you now run!"

" _We can't, even if we did run he'd track us down after killing you he can get past a Monji formation with no issue! No matter what we do, where we go or how far he'll wipe us out. Our only chance is to rescue you!"_ Riku thought to himself gathering his courage and running towards the clone.

"Riku!" Kiki shouted as he ran.

"Cover me!" Riku shouted back Kiki nodded and weaved several hand signs.

" _ **Wood Style Fifty Arrow Barrage!"**_ She shouted sending chakra into the trees making them go rigid and shoot sharp branches out at Zabuza who batted them away with his sword. He looked up to see Riku let out a battle cry with his Kunai as he attempted to stab the clone. However it grabbed Riku by the neck and threw him into Kiki, sending them skidding across the ground with a thud.

"He got Riku and Kiki!" Naruto cried out seeing the clone over him he gasped and tried to run. But his bad hand hit the ground making him wince in pain and then he noticed the bandage. It was then he remembered his pledge. " _I will not run away, or abandon my friends again! Believe it, I'm going to become the greatest Hokage!"_ He looked down at the headbands that were under the clone's feet. Thinking back to when he wanted to try on Iruka's headband but was told no. Iruka finally let him do it when he had pulled off a perfect Shadow Clone on his second try with the test. Other memories entered his head.

" _That's what happens when the enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice. On every mission your life is on the line." Kakashi's words_

" _To be the greatest hokage!"_

" _We're not just little kids any more we're ninja now!"_

" _That's right I made an oath of pain…I won't run away!"_ Naruto charged with a battle cry to the horror of everyone.

"Naruto no!" Kakashi cried out.

"What are you doing you idiot!?" Riku cried out.

"Stay away!" Kiki added in horror as Naruto kept charging. Zabuza merely grinned. Blood flew into the air as Naruto was sent tumbling back to them. Trembling as he got up.

"What were you thinking!? We're no match for him." Riku said as he and Kiki helped him up. Naruto grinned and showed them what he was holding.

"The headbands, that's why?" Riku asked in awe Naruto nodded.

"We're Ninja now…" Naruto said simply as they took back their headbands and tied them back to their heads. Naruto kept going to stand and then he turned to Zabuza.

"Hey you with no eyebrows, put this in your bingo book. The Ninja who will become the Hokage of Konaha….He never backs down his name is Naruto Uzamaki!" he declared tying his own headband back onto his head. Zabuza couldn't help but grin at Naruto's determination.

"Hey Riku you listening?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah….you thinking about working together?" Riku asked.

"Yeah…lets go wild!" Naruto replied grinning and wiping the blood from his mouth. Riku couldn't be sure what he meant neither did Kiki but they were standing ready Kiki staying close to Tazuna. There was a standoff of silence as they watched, "time to take this guy down."

" _I thought that kid was all talk but he's got guts… the other two are tougher than they look too."_ Tazuna thought to himself.

Zabuza chuckled. "Big talk for such a little man; You think whatever plan you have will keep you in the game?"

"What are you doing I told you to run! This battle was over the minute I got caught. Your mission is not to prove how brave you are! It's to protect the Bridge builder stay on mission!" Kakashi shouted.

They turned to him. "Mr. Tazuna?" Kiki asked. He hung his head.

"Well, I guess this is all because of me. Because of my desire to live…but I won't let that stop you! Do what you have to, to save your sensei." They grinned and turned back to Zabuza.

"Ya hear that?" Naruto asked as Riku grinned as well.

"Yeah you ready Zabuza?" Zabuza merely responded by laughing.

"You haven't learned anything, still playing your little game. Pretending to be Ninja, when I was your age," Zabuza said flexing his free hand into a fist. "This hand already crushed many lives." This caught everyone off guard and made them gasp in fear.

"Zabuza…the Demon…." Kakashi muttered in fear for his students.

"Ohhh so I was in your book too eh?" Zabuza asked not even turning to look at Kakashi.

"Long ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist also known as Blood Mist Village. There was one final task that a student had to do to become Ninja." Kakashi told them grimly.

"Do you know about the Graduation exam?" Zabuza asked.

"Yeah what's that have to do with anything?" Riku asked. Zabuza started to laugh again.

"What's the big deal? We have Graduation exams too Ya know!" Naruto snapped.

"But did you have to kill the other students to pass?!" Zabuza asked sadistically making them gasp in horror.

"Imagine young Ninja like you training together eating together, and then the final exams. Only they changed the rules. It was kill or be killed. You couldn't stop while your opponent breathes he was your friend shared your dreams! Now it was him or you." Zabuza explained sadistically.

Kiki stared in horror her hand to her mouth almost wanting to cry. "That's so cruel."

"He took something like that?!" Riku asked in horror staring at Zabuza.

"Ten years ago, the Graduation exam changed. But one year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror."

"What evil what change, what caused the terror?" Kiki asked shivering.

"Without hesitation a young boy who wasn't even a Ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students." Kakashi explained. The image of a young boy taking out children much like them with blood everywhere filled the young minds of the three Genin.

"It….." Zabuza began, "it….felt so good!" he roared, a sadistic smile seen through the wrapping on his face. The Clone then charged kicking Riku and elbowing him. Four roots with sharpened points lashed out at the water clone, but he hacked them to pieces with his sword, grabbed the girl by the hair and slammed her into Riku again.

"You're both nothing." He said as he dug his foot against Riku's back.

"Stop right there!" Naruto shouted doing his signature hand sign. " _ **Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**_ He shouted surrounding Zabuza's clone making him take his foot off the two. He looked around.

"Ohhh Shadow Clones and there's quite a few of them too." The Clone noted looking around. The Naruto clones prepared their Kunai with the real one. Allowing Kiki and Riku to sit up and watch as the Naruto's dove for Zabuza and tried to pin him down. But with one mighty swing from his sword, several had been knocked away poofing away.

"He's too powerful…there's no way…" Tazuna muttered in fear.

" _I'm not giving up I still have this!"_ Naruto shouted pulling something out of his backpack. "Riku!" he shouted throwing it to the young Uchiha, who upon catching it instantly grinned.

" _So this is your plan, Brilliant!_ " he shouted swinging around and unfolding the large Shuriken. "Demon wind Shuriken! Windmill of Shadow!" Riku shouted Kiki smiled brightly in surprise having an idea of what Riku and Naruto were planning.

"A Shuriken? You'll never touch me with that." Zabuza scoffed.

"We'll see about that!" Riku responded leaping into the air and with all his strength, he threw. Instantly the Shuriken took off flying spinning rapidly. The clone was prepared until he noticed something off with the trajectory. It wasn't aiming for him. Rather the real Zabuza.

"So you passed the clone and aimed for my real body, smart." He said before catching the Shuriken in his free hand. "But not good enough!" His ear then caught familiar sound he turned to see the other one. "What? A second Shuriken in the shadow of the first? the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu."

" _The second Shuriken is on target! He can't catch this one!"_ Kiki thought to herself determinedly as the Shuriken rushed for Zabuza. However Zabuza jumped to hers and Tazuna's horror. " _He Dodged it!"_

"I told you a shuriken can't touch me!" Zabuza shouted insulted. However, Riku simply smirked as the Shuriken suddenly changed into Naruto to the surprise of all but Riku.

"EAT THIS!" Naruto shouted throwing the Kunai in his hand. Zabuza was forced to let go, and dodge the Kunai which even pierced his Clone killing it. He roared in anger blood flowing from his cheek where he had gotten clipped. He started spinning the Shuriken in his hand.

"Naruto!" his team mates shouted, Naruto watched in horror as Zabuza aimed for him.

"I'll destroy you!" Zabuaza snarled his head ties in his face. However Kakashi stopped it with metal sheets on the back of his gloves, blood leaking down his soaked sleeve and arm. He glared hatefully into Zabuza.

"That was amazing Naruto!" Riku shouted as Naruto resurfaced from hitting the water. "Your crazy plan worked!"

"Naruto that was an excellent plan!" Kakashi stated impressed. "You've really grown haven't you?"

Naruto laughed and smiled grinning at the praise. "I knew I couldn't beat him with my Shadow Clones that was just to distract him! While he was fighting them I turned into the demon wind Shuriken! He didn't know what to do ya know!"

"So that's it!" Kiki said brightly smiling.

"I used one of the clones to transform into the Shuriken." Naruto explained, remembering how he did so. And his clone turning quickly to slip Naruto into his pack, "when I threw it to Riku it looked like a real Shuriken, then he spun around so no one could see and pulled out his own Shuriken."

"Then there were two shuriken one was real the other was Naruto!" Riku added reflecting back on using the move.

Naruto remembered his clone skidding back as he flew. "I hid in the shadow of the real Shuriken and my target was the real Zabuza. Course fighting him wasn't in the game plan. I just wanted to break up his water prison. I didn't know his clone would get wrecked too. That was a bonus ya know." Naruto finished happily.

"That worked out a lot better than I thought it was going to" Riku admitted, still sounding amazed

"The whole thing was just a fluke." Tazuna snapped.

"You can call it a fluke but it was perfect Team Work. They knew what to do without speaking to each other." Kiki scolded. "And it worked and saved us."

"Yeah, yeah…They just lucked out." Tazuna mumbled.

"Hmph I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison." Zabuza said.

"Don't flatter yourself. You weren't distracted you were forced to let go." Kakashi growled darkly. "Your technique worked on me once but not again. So what's it gonna be?" he asked everyone watching the two. Kiki and Riku looked at each other nodding and moved closer together to shield Tazuna.

Zabuza smirked and folded the shuriken down trying to pierce Kakashi with it however he pushed it away and sent it flying. The two jumped away. Kakashi's Sharingan watching Zabuza as they met at different ends of the lake.

Zabuza then started chanting out the hand signs he was doing and doing them slow enough to follow. Kakashi started mimicking him the water bubbled up around them as they finished. " _ **Tori! Water style Water Dragon Jutsu!"**_ They both shouted coming out of the water were two large dragons made entirely of water that began fighting.

As the two clashed the water began to churn violently as large waves spewed out washing Naruto away for a bit and rushing at the shore where Tazuna, Kiki and Riku are.

"Incredible!" Riku muttered when he could see again.

"That had an insane amount of hand signs. And he mirrored them all perfectly." Kiki muttered. "The Sharingan is incredible."

Naruto managed to reemerge from the water gasping for air. They soon turned to the battle of water Dragons becoming large fountains around the two jonin as one pushed back with a Kunai against a mighty large blade.

" _Something isn't right… the Sharingan can copy abilities and comprehend them. However both Jutsu's occurred at the same time… could he…."_ Zabuza asked himself as the battle continued. A figure wearing a teal kimono with their hair tied back with two long braids hanging at their side and a brown under garment and sandals wearing a mysterious mask with the symbol of the hidden Mist on it watched silently from the trees out of sight of the others.

As the two Jonin leapt from each other, the Genin were buffeted by the waves of warring water dragons. Tazuna was knocked off his feet, and Naruto coughed up some water as he finally reached his team. Riku and Kiki helped the two, but stopped as Kakashi and Zabuza began to move again. After some running and preparing the hidden mist jutsu again he gasped as Kakashi mirrored him perfectly.

"He's not just copying he's moving the exact same way at the exact same time." Taunza pointed out. Kiki and Riku continued to watch as Riku suddenly remembered something about the Sharingan his mother had mentioned before.

" _My movements…it's as if he knows what I'm-"_

"Going to do next?" Kakashi mockingly asked Zubuza cutting off his train of thought.

" _He looks at me with that eye…."_ Zabuza growled in his thoughts.

"It makes you furious doesn't it?" Kakashi asked mockingly but also with his own fury being tamed. This was after they made the same hand sign.

"All you're doing is copying me like a monkey!" Zabuza spat as he weaved more hand signs.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks!" they both said, ticking Zabuza off even more.

"When I'm done with you you'll never open that monkey mouth again!" he snarled however he suddenly saw something behind Kakashi. " _It's…it's me but how! Is this his illusion jutsu?!"_

" _ **Water style Giant Vortex Jutsu!"**_ Kakashi shouted water surging up around him it got bigger and bigger until a massive vortex of water shot out at Zabuza. He was pulled under the waves and thrown around by the current as it crashed onto the shore.

" _I was just about to make a Vortex but he did it first! He copies my Jutsu before I can even do it I CAN'T KEEP UPPPP!"_ He shouted as he futile attempts to escape the current failed Everyone had to brace themselves as the water tore through the area, nearly knocking an already soaking Naruto off his feet as Zabuza was tossed around by the water, finally slamming into the trunk of a thick tree.

As Zabuza gasped for air, he screamed in pain as kunai struck his arms and legs. Kakashi appeared on the branch above him with the water finally receding taking some of the forest with it. "You're finished." Kakashi said darkly.

"How….can you…can you see into the future?!" Zabuza asked.

"Yes…." Kakashi replied. "This is your last battle…ever." He said pulling out a Kunai however two small streaks of silver rushed by and slammed into Zabuza's neck instantly causing him to drop with a grunt and some blood spilling out.

"What the hell?!" Riku gasped as everyone watched in shock. It was then they were alerted to the presence of the third Ninja. Kakashi observed his small size and stature and a small very young sounding androgynous voice chuckled.

"You were right it was his last battle." He said as everyone stared at him in awe.

"No way, he took Zabuza out just like that?!" Kiki yelped in shock as Naruto stared, managing to look both dumbfounded and furious at the same time; Looking at the masked figure, then at Zabuza who was motionless.

Kakashi leapt down and got close to Zabuza and placed two fingers on a point on his neck. "Is he really dead?" Kiki asked.

"No pulse." Kakashi replied and turned to the newcomer, who gave a short bow.

"Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza for a while now, waiting for this chance to take him down."

"By your mask I assume you're a tracker Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi said.

"I'm impressed, you're well informed." The masked shinobi replied.

"A tracker!" Naruto growled rushing up to his team mates and Zabuza. "You, you…..whatever you do whoever you are!" He growled fist shaking.

"Tracker Ninja have a special role. When a Ninja goes rogue and breaks away from their village they take all kinds of secrets. So Tracker Ninja are tasked with finding and eliminating them. That way the secrets of their people stay secret." Kiki explained.

"That's correct. I am a member of the Elite Tracker Team from the Hidden Mist Village. It was my duty to eliminate Zabuza.

" _From his size and voice, he must be the same age as Naruto and Riku, and yet he's an elite assassin."_ Kakashi thought to himself observing the young Ninja. " _He's no ordinary kid but what is he?"_

Naruto ran up to him looking between Zabuza's body and the tracker shaking and panting with Anger. "What is this!? Who do you think you are!?" he shouted. "Did you hear me?!" he snarled when the tracker didn't reply.

"Easy Naruto he's not our enemy." Kakashi replied getting up.

"That's not the point, did you see what he did?!" Naruto shouted. "Zabuza was huge and powerful like a monster! And this kid who's no bigger than me takes him out with one move! What does that make us ya know? We're just fumbling around!" He shouted as Kiki and Riku hung their own heads, some rookies of the year.

"How can I accept that!?" Naruto shouted.

"It's hard to believe…." Kiki muttered.

"Whether you accept or believe it." Kakashi said to both placing a hand on Naruto's head. "It happened in this world there are kids younger than all of you and yet stronger than me." Riku winced at this.

The tracker teleported down from the tree and picked up Zabuza. "Your struggle is over for now, I must deal with the remains. Please excuse me there are many secrets in this body and they must not get into the wrong hands." He did a hand sign as wind whipped around them. "Farewell…" he said vanishing. Kakashi pulled his headband back down over his Sharingan eye closing it as well.

"He disappeared!" Naruto shouted rushing forward.

"Let it go Naruto." Kakashi said as Naruto fell to the ground punching it in rage.

"What are we doing here?! We're nothing I can't believe it!" Naruto cried out as he continued to punch the ground. Riku walked forward and put a hand on his shoulder showing a look of empathy.

"Save your anger for the next battle." Kakashi simply said only to suddenly fall.

"Kakashi!" Riku shouted as they all rushed to him and gathered around.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto cried out. Kakashi groaned and looked up at them.

"Eh heheh…" he chuckled in a tired raspy voice. "I guess I over did it."

* * *

 _ **Special thanks to Freelancer1989 for helping with this chapter. Yes most fights are going to be in one chapter if they don't go over a 6000 word limit but they have to reach at least 3000 words to be considered a chapter**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	6. A Forest of Chakra

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Most Original Characters and Idea by Freelancer1989 Thanks to him for editing_

* * *

 _ **A forest of Chakra**_

Kiki had made a small wagon to carry Kakashi the rest of the way. They put him in his own guest room and put the kids in the other guest room. The room was small and had a Bathroom for the three to share. Other than that it was wide enough for three sleeping bags. It had been a long day and yet Riku couldn't sleep.

"Kiki you awake?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, I can't sleep either." She replied sitting up. "I wonder how Kakashi got the Sharingan? I thought only your clan could have it…" Kiki asked as Naruto in his sleep began to stir.

"I think I remember mom saying it is possible to transplant a Sharingan into another person... but the Chakra cost for a non-Uchiha would be a lot worse than it is for someone like me." Riku explained as Naruto rolled across the room behind them, "I think it's possible the strain, plus all those high level techniques he kept using, was too much for him"

"Right, that's why Kakashi sensei wore himself out like that. It's impressive but if it's going to potentially kill him maybe it's not worth it. If a Ninja loses too much Chakra they die. Even the Uchiha and Senju aren't immune to something like that." Kiki replied as Naruto tossed and turn in his sleep.

"Yeah, at least Zabuza's gone. That's a good thing right?" Riku asked as Naruto suddenly shouted 'A Thousand Years of Death', jabbing his pointer fingers forward and mumbling something about Hokage mastering the ultimate technique, his hand looking like he's holding a ball or sphere in his hand.

"What is he doing?" Riku asked with a sigh and exasperated expression as Kiki stared.

"I have no idea." She muttered in a deadpan, her eyes wide at the blonde. Naruto flipped over back in his bed and Kiki put a wall between them.

"I won, so…now…so now you owe me….Ramen for life, believe it…." He muttered from the other side.

"He does really weird things in his sleep." Riku muttered.

 **X X X**

The next morning, Kakashi groaned waking up with a roof over his head. It had to have been Tazuna's house; he must have passed out right after telling them he'd over done it with his Sharingan. There was a woman, perhaps Tazuna's daughter, that came in to check on him.

"Oh you're awake, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"I've been better; I probably won't be able to move normally for a couple of days." Kakashi groaned sitting up with a bit of a struggle.

"See it's better if you don't move so just stay in bed." She said in a stern motherly tone.

"Sorry…." Kakashi muttered as he lay, back down and relaxed. He heard footsteps as Tazuna and the kids came in.

"Hey the Sensei's coming around." Naruto said.

"Are you feeling any better?" Riku asked.

"Somewhat I'll probably be in this bed for a while but I can still teach you some things." Kakashi replied.

"You can?" Kiki asked.

"And you want too?" Riku added.

"I have a feeling about that Assassin." Kakashi muttered. "I just can't shake this feeling I missed something important but I'm think I'm getting it."

"So what about that masked boy?" Kiki asked.

"He's from the Elite tracking unit in the Village Hidden in the Mist those masks are only worn by the most elite Shinobi." Kakashi replied. "However…"

"What are you getting at?" Riku asked.

"The Anbu also known as the Inferno Squad destroy any trace of a rogue Ninja's body those secrets Kiki mentioned are within their bodies; Ninjutsu, chakra, special medicines that were used on them. If their enemies find them, their people will be in grave danger."

"Like your Sharingan?" Riku asked

"That's right if I were to die at the hands of an enemy. They'd try to study my Sharingan. In the worst case my Jutsu could be stolen and used against our home village. If a Ninja betrays his village the Ninja trackers hunt him down and obliterate every piece of their existence. That way their Jutsu doesn't fall into the wrong hands. That's their specialty."

"So what's the problem?" Naruto asked.

"Usually Ninja Hunters do that right at the spot," Kakashi replied.

"Is that so important?" Riku asked.

"Think about it what did the Assassin we see do after he killed Zabuza?" Kakashi asked.

"He took his body away somewhere I guess…" Naruto replied.

"That's right. And remember, the weapons he used?" Kakashi asked. Kiki put her hand to her chin for a minute then it hit her.

"They were Senbon needles!"

"Correct." Kakashi replied.

"But they got him in the neck ya know. That could kill him right?" Naruto asked.

"You would think." Riku said turning to him. "But Senbon usually don't do much damage unless they hit a vital organ. Honestly a kunai or shuriken would have done the job better..."

"That's right and I highly doubt the Hidden Mist Village would send a rookie after one as powerful as Zabuza." Kakashi added. "That Assassin wasn't killing Zabuza. He was saving him!"

Riku's eyes widened, "are you saying-"he said his voice cracking thinking desperately for Kakashi not to go where he was.

"Zabuza is still alive." Kakashi said firmly making his students and Tazuna gasp in horror.

 **X X X**

The Assassin had laid Zabuza's body down and unrolled a set of tools and picked out a pair of flat dull looking scissors. "First I'll cut the bandages and drain some of the blood." He said to himself as he reached for Zabuza's face but to his surprise as he let out a small gasp, Zabuza grabbed his arm.

"That's enough I'll do it." Zabuza replied pulling the covering over his mouth revealing shark like teeth peeking through his lips.

"So you've already come back to life." The boy said as he sat up.

"Dammit Haku." He said eyes wide he was in pain and his eyes were dry from having them open all that time. He ripped out one of the Senbon needles from his neck. "You're brutal."

"You're the one who's brutal." Haku replied simply. "Keep pulling them out like that and you'll really be finished. He said watching Zabuza pull out the last one just as quickly and brutally as he did the first couple.

"How long are you gonna wear that phony mask, take it off." Zabuza grunted at him as a command.

"I have good memories of this mask." Haku replied but still pulled it away from his face his hands having teal nail polish. "Besides," he said revealing a soft young face with brown wide eyes. "It was useful for tricking that Ninja. If I hadn't intervened you'd be dead now." Zabuza was spitting adjusting to being alive again.

"Putting me in a temporary death state is fine but not through the pressure points in my neck." Zabuza grunted as he looked over at Haku. "Cruel as usual, I think you enjoy it." he said a hint of accusation in his voice.

"It was the only sure way." Haku replied smiling. "Besides I wouldn't want to mark up your flawless Body you'd complain about that even more." He joked. "The Neck is more vulnerable there's no layer of muscle so I can go straight for the pressure points."

Zabuza tried to stand up but couldn't. "There's no point trying to move you'll be numb for a week although if you're as stubborn as usual you'll be moving in half the time."

"So innocent and yet so clever at the same time;" Zabuza muttered but smirked, "a rare combination that's why I keep you around."

Haku chuckled smiling with a slight blush. "I'm still a kid what do you expect?" He stood up and turned to the ocean at the end of a pathway behind in them in the forest. "The Fog has cleared." He turned to Zabuza. "Next time will you be alright?"

"Next time I'll see right through his Sharingan." Zabuza said determinedly.

 **X X X**

Tazuna's daughter was holding herself in fear. Kiki was in shock. "Oh no…." she gasped eyes widening.

"Damn it! And we let them get away!" Riku groaned his hands on his forehead.

"He tricked us…" Naruto stated then started smiling to himself grinning wildly chuckling was coming from him as well.

" _Naruto's actually happy to hear Zabuza's alive, which means he gets another shot at him."_ Kakashi thought watching Naruto.

"But Kakashi sensei, you said there was no Pulse!" Kiki said.

"There wasn't a pulse, but that was just a temporary state to simulate death. Senbons like Riku said are rarely fatal only when they hit vital organs not in the neck. They have a precise effect. Their modified from medical needles stopping the heart while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for assassins like them."

"Are you sure you're not just over thinking it?" Tazuna asked.

"Encountering suspicion the Ninja prepares quickly hesitation leads to disaster. Every Shinobi knows this saying." Kakashi replied.

"How can we do that when you can barely move?" Riku asked.

"Like I said I can still train you." Kakashi replied with a laugh.

"Another week of training isn't going to help us against Zabuza." Kiki said dejectedly.

"Kiki, I was able to stop Zabuza because you all helped me. You've grown." He said then looked over at Naruto. "Naruto you've grown the most." He said with a smile visible under his mask. Naruto smiled at this.

" _He does seem stronger and more confident."_ Riku noted before smiling at that plan they did before. " _Maybe we can do it."_

"You noticed huh Kakashi sensei? Well things are gonna get better believe it!" Naruto cheered.

"I don't believe it and nothings gonna be good!" shouted a voice they turned to see an eight year old boy wearing green overalls and a white and blue hat with a yellow shirt.

"Who are you?" Riku asked.

"Inari, where've you been?" Tazuna asked brightly opening his arms for a hug as the boy ran to him.

"Welcome back grandpa!" he said hugging him.

"Inari that was very rude!" His mother said looking down at him hands on her hips.

"It's okay, it's okay I'm rude to them too." Tazuna said rubbing his grandsons head.

" _That is true."_ Riku said with a sigh in his head but then he noticed Inari looking at him with eyes. They were eyes that didn't believe in them. He knew a look like that all too well.

"Mom don't you see, these people are gonna die, Gato's men will come back and wipe them all out!" Inari argued.

"What you say!?" Naruto snapped. "Listen you know what a Super Ninja well that's me only better! This Gato doesn't stand a chance against me Ya know!"

" _I think Kakashi would fit that better_ …" Kiki said sweat-dropping at his ego. To her surprise Inari hung his head.

"Heh, there's no such thing as heroes; you're just full of stupid ideas!" he shouted. Riku stared at him surprised by this but at the same time...

"What you say!?" Naruto said charging only for Riku to snap out of his thoughts and grab him.

"Naruto calm down!" Riku snapped. Inari went to the door and turned back to them.

"If you want to stay alive you'll go back where you came from." He said before opening the door with the symbol for the land of fire on it.

"Inari wait where are you going?" Tazuna asked him.

"To look at the ocean I want to be alone." He said storming out.

Tazuna sighed, "Sorry about that." Naruto was still growling and no less than five minutes Riku was chasing him upstairs as Naruto went to confront the younger boy.

"Who's that brat think he is I'm gonna put him in his place right now!" he growled.

"Naruto let it go!" Riku growled running after him. When they got there however they heard sobbing they peeked in his room to see him crying holding a picture.

"No Daddy no…" he whimpered obviously reliving a horrible memory. Naruto hung his head and left Riku did as well heading out to the outside porch. He remembered when he was younger sitting alone his back turned to the doorway of the Academy on the swing or even up in the tree hiding and crying his eyes out thinking about being badly treated by the village….due to the coup attempt.

He stared up into the sky leading against the wall. Eventually he came back inside to see Kiki and Naruto watch as Kakashi pulled himself up on crutches.

"So what training did you have in mind?" Kiki asked.

"Climbing trees," Kakashi happily replied confusing his three students.

 **X X X**

"Alright training starts now. First we will begin with a review of Chakra, The Ninja's basic source of power. Understanding Chakra is essential." Kakashi said holding onto the crutches.

"We know that, not sure what it has to do with our training though." Riku replied.

"It'll make sense when we have the review." Kakashi replied.

"Oka yeah, mom and dad talked about this when I was learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu" Naruto said

"I know all about this" Kiki raised her hand

"Go ahead Kiki." Kakashi said as the girl pulled a scroll from her bag and opened it

"Chakra is the elemental life energy a Ninja uses in Jutsu it's the source of all his power. Now this energy has two forms, Physical energy which is found in every cell of the body all working together. And Spiritual energy the primal source of power which is intensified through training and experience." She pulled more of the scroll. "As you see the two types of chakra must be drawn out and brought together to perform Jutsu." She flipped to the next one showing a picture of the two swirling around each other in the outline of a person. "Notice the balance between the two? That's the key, finally hand signs focus and unleash the chakra." She said pointing to the last picture before wrapping it up.

"Right on all points, Iruka sensei did have some excellent students." Kakashi said impressed.

"Okay so what does all that have to do with this training exercise?" Naruto asked, "We already know and do this stuff"

"There's more to it than that." Riku said to him.

"He's right, you haven't mastered this power, you've only scratched the surface." Kakashi took several steps towards a tall tree before continuing

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side

"As Kiki said you need to bring out both spiritual and physical energy and combined them in yourself, but how do you do that? Each Jutsu requires different types of chakra in different proportions. You must select and combine them in exactly the right way. Up to now you've just guessed at the proportions hoping they'd come out right. Even if you produce a lot of chakra unless you can balance and control it it's all worthless. The Jutsu won't work at all. Or it'll just be a joke. You waste so much energy that way. You run out of Chakra you can't fight at all and you're just a target and using too much of both Stamina and Energy will kill you."

"So how do we change that?" Riku asked.

"Train so hard, that controlling your Chakra becomes second nature; and you need to be ready to put your life on the line." Kakashi replied firmly in his scary tone again. But then it relaxed quickly. "And this is where climbing trees comes in. But there's just one rule, no hands."

"How are we supposed to climb it without hands?" Riku asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's impossible." Kiki added.

"Is it?" Kakashi asked, "Let's see." He replied doing a hand sign and there was a small wave at his feet he began to walk over to the nearest tree and to their shock and surprise he climbed up it no problem.

"He's climbing!" Naruto said in awe.

"Straight up!" Kiki added.

"And he's only using his feet!" Riku added.

"Well you get the idea." Kakashi replied. "Focus the Chakra to the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of Chakra."

"That's a nice trick but, how does that help us fight Zabuza?" Riku asked.

"It's the only way to fight him Riku. That's the entire goal of this training; first you'll pull a precise amount of Chakra to a precise point in your body. This is difficult even for advanced Ninja This type of climbing contains a subtle mix of Spiritual and Physical chakra and the bottoms of the feet are the most difficult place to focus chakra." Kakashi explained. "Are you getting the picture if you can master this, you can master any type of Jutsu well…theoretically. The second point is to learn how to maintain Chakra levels. When a Ninja is focused in battle it's even harder to maintain hold his chakra levels a deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining Chakra must become second Nature, effortless. Well I could talk about this all day but that won't advance your skills, will it? You need to apply the power of Chakra through training." He said throwing three Kunai each landing at a student's feet. "Use the Kunai knife to mark the highest point you can get without using your hands. Then try to get past that point the next time and the next time. You'll make a running start at the tree so your momentum will take you as far as you can, until you get used to it. Are you ready?"

"Yeah no sweat!" Naruto said picking up a Kunai. "This'll be easy, believe it. Remember sensei you're the one that said I've grown the most."

"Alright Naruto, then prove it." Kakashi leaned against the trunk of the tree

The Kids used the same hand sign to focus Chakra the bottoms of their feet. Soon Riku and Kiki could feel a Tingling in their feet as Chakra pooled down there. Naruto yelled out charge as they ran to the tree. Riku quickly lost sight of them focusing on his tree trying to make his chakra strong but he felt the wood crush under his foot he quickly marked his place on the tree and fell. He stared up at the small hole he made in the trunk.

" _This is harder than it looks the balance must be perfect, Too much and you smash the tree."_ He heard Naruto groan holding his head in pain. " _Too little and you slip off like Naruto did."_

He charged again trying to keep the balance and fell just barely getting above the last mark he made and groaned hitting the ground. "Owwww." He groaned sitting up and looking up at the tree Naruto was already trying again and made his first mark. But what about Kiki?

"Hey this is fun!" he heard her say he looked up and found her sitting in the tree. Her Kunai beside her.

"Alright Kiki atta girl!" Riku cheered. " _Well I should've seen this coming..."_ He thought while trying not to be jealous. It was dawning on Riku that Kiki could do this better because she could already handily use Wood Style quite handily.

"Well, well, looks like the female of the group has the most Chakra control. Kiki not only understood chakra but can control and maintain it." Kakashi praised. "She has a good chance of becoming Hokage like her Grandfather. Watch out Naruto. And the great Uchiha clan might not be so great after all."

"Aww don't tell him that, that's mean!" Kiki scolded.

"It's fine, I won't lose to you." Riku said grinning as Kiki grinned back he charged up the tree again focusing he managed to get much higher. Naruto growled wanting to catch up and charged getting higher and higher. Kiki got back down and practiced with them again.

" _That definitely motivated them. If this works, Kiki's Charka control will evolve beyond what it is now and Riku and Naruto will master it, and to them it'll become a valuable asset."_ Kakashi thought as he watched.

Riku managed to land on his feet this time. If nothing else he was mastering that. As he did he thought he saw Inari spying on them. "Was that?" He didn't see as Kakashi yelled at him to focus.

Inari was walking home. "It's all a waste of time they have no idea what their up against….anyone who stands up to Gato just dies…."

 **X X X**

Back at Gato's hide out in the woods Haku was sitting at Zabuza's bedside. He heard the door opened and looked back at it slightly. "Well, some unbeatable Jonin." Gato sneered. "Got beat and limping back home like some has been; Demon of the Hidden Mist more like, _Coward_ of the Hidden Mist." He laughed and Haku immediately stood. Gato's two thugs one covered in black tatooes and black hair and was shirtless, the other with silver hair at his chin a hat and blue jacket and eye tattoos each grabbed their blades pulling them out slightly.

"Drawing swords?" Haku asked darkly.

"Hang on a minute." Gato said as he walked passed them giving them a sign to stand down. "Let's here what you have to say." Gato said reaching for Zabuza's face. "And don't play possum I know you can talk." He said but Haku quickly grabbed it.

"Keep your filthy hands off of him!" Haku growled tightening his grip very tightly even using a tiny bit of Chakra making Gato cry out as a sharp pain shot out through his arm.

"GAHHH! You're gonna break it!" he shouted with a whine the two guards moved forward but Haku had let Gato go pushed him aside and grabbed the two swords pointing one at the other's throats.

" _That's impossible,"_ thought the one with the Goatee.

" _No one can move that fast,"_ Thought the silver haired one.

"Don't push me; I'm in a really foul mood." Haku growled his eyes wide and burning brightly with anger as the swords were tossed away. Gato growled as he nursed his arm.

"One chance, that's all you've got. Fail again and I'll cut you off and they'll be no one to cover for you!" He snarled as he and his thugs left.

"Haku that wasn't necessary." Zabuza said holding onto the kunai he had under the covers.

"Perhaps but it's too early to take out his best cover. Think about it the murders would draw their attention then they'd be after us again." Haku pointed out remembering the actual Elite tracker squad from the Hidden Mist Village.

"We need restraint." Haku said with a smile.

"Right Zabuza agreed closing his eyes to rest.

 **X X X**

Naruto landed on the ground, growling in frustration as Riku ran up for another go. Kiki pushed herself harder, feeling her control getting stronger. As she looked high at the top, she spotted Riku leaping off the tree again, a large line of gashes over where his foot had crushed the tree. She was back on the ground she felt a tapping on her shoulder to see both boys there.

"Hey you're good at this, can you give us some tips?" Naruto asked, Riku nodding in agreement. Kiki smiled and nodded and began telling them what to do.

" _They're catching on. From now on they'll get stronger and stronger. And there's a lot of Chakra between the three of them even more than I'm capable of."_ Kakashi thought smiling.

* * *

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	7. The Land where a Hero once Lived

_I own nothing except the stuff and Characters I made up, Some OC's and Edits done by Freelancer1989_

* * *

 _ **The Land where a Hero once lived**_

The bridge building was as noisy as a construction site. Boats would come and go bringing supplies. Men were cranking and building hammering in nails. Kiki passed her time keeping her eyes peeled practicing Taijutsu and hand signs.

"Well, aren't you super focused?" Tazuna said to her passing by while carrying some Lumber.

"Mmhmm!" she replied happily with a nod.

"Where's that weird Blonde kid and the one with the sharp gaze." Tazuna asked.

"Training climbing trees for Chakra control." Kiki replied.

"Too tough for you?" Tazuna asked curtly.

"Quite the opposite actually," Kiki replied proudly. "I've the best out of the three of us. That's why Kakashi sensei sent me here to guard you!"

"I guess I shouldn't be, surprised. Given how you're able to just command wood the way you do." Tazuna replied.

"We'll I am the Great Granddaughter of Hashirama Senju after all, he-"She then saw that Tazuna had left. "You're not listening." She sighed watching him place the lumber down as another man in a brown shirt grey hair and headband came over.

"Hey, Tazuna? I need to talk to you." the man asked coming over.

"What about?" Tazuna asked.

"I've been thinking a lot about the Bridge," the man replied rubbing the back of his neck his eyes shifting around not making firm contact with Tazuna's. "And I've decided I want out."

"WHAT?! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO QUIT ON ME?!" Tazuna yelled. "You're kidding!"

"I stayed on because of our friendship. But every day I stay here I'm putting my own life at risk. Gato and his thugs will come eventually."

"Then I'll just have to beat them back!" Kiki said running up.

"Ehhh kid," the man hummed rubbing the back of his head. "Senju or not you're just one kid. And one kid's gonna get slaughtered." He turned back to Tazuna. "If they kill you Tazuna the bridge won't be built anyway. Why don't we get out of this while we still can."

"But-" Kiki muttered going quiet when Tazuna responded.

"Not a chance. This Bridge is ours. Our island is poor, and it will stay that way until this bridge is complete. Progress, traders, hope! That's what we're building here!" Tazuna snapped.

"There's not gonna be much hope if we're all dead." The man replied.

There was a hostile silence between them. "It's already noon." Tazuna said passing him, "Lets break for lunch." He didn't even look at the other man who turned towards him holding out a hand.

"Tazuna, let's not end it like this!" he said pleadingly.

"Save your breath. Oh and Gyichi, don't bother coming back after lunch." Tazuna growled merely turning his head back to him. Soon the sun was setting and Kiki began to escort Tazuna home. She could see the place looking, more like a slum inward. Filthy rundown buildings lined themselves around the river bank.

"So where are we going?" Kiki asked.

"You want to eat tonight don't ya? I've gotta pick up a few things for dinner." Tazuna replied. As they walked forward there was a man with a sign looking pale and thin that read, "Will work for food." She saw a boy run by with a link of sausages as the butcher yelled thief. Then there were a couple of boys around her age sitting looking hungry and sad by a Garage door. Kiki could feel their heart go out to them. It wasn't just poverty, it seemed as though the state of this land and Gato had drained the spirit and life right out of them. And now they were just waiting to die.

"Here we are," Tazuna said as they stopped a market with a sign on it. They entered the store. The man behind the counter welcomed them half-heartedly. Kiki looked around seeing very small and few vegetables lining the shelves.

" _This is a store there's nothing here."_ Kiki thought to herself looking around. A Man was passing her seeing the bag he reached for it. Kiki let out a shriek in response thinking he was a pervert and with a beam of wood sent him flying out of the store.

"I…just…." He said his arm in the air. "Wanted…..uuuggggg." his arm fell to his side lamely. After that the two were walking home.

"You really surprised me; girls around here don't fight like that…though maybe they should." Tazuna said. Kiki felt someone tug at her bag. She turned around glaring seeing a small child making her expression soften.

The Child merely held out her hand, "Please," she said trying to look as cute as possible. Kiki pulled out some Candy and gave it to her wishing she had more. "Thank you so much!" the girl said running off. She was the closest to hopeful Kiki had seen all evening. It was starting to depress her.

"This is how it's been since Gato got here. The Children suffer and the Adults are afraid to stand up to him." Tazuna explained as Kiki wiped her eyes. "They've lost all hope. That's why we have to finish the bridge. It'll bring progress and trade. But more importantly that bridge is a symbol of courage. We've got to restore their spirit." Kiki listened as Tazuna continued his voice dripping with determination and passion. "When the Bridge is complete people will believe again!" He clenched his fist. "They'll believe that they can live with dignity we can't let Gato stop us!"

"Yeah," Kiki agreed. " _Riku Naruto, we have to help them, we have too!"_

 **X X X**

The two boys were working as hard as they could, climbing trees. Naruto who had gotten used to landing on his feet landed gracefully on the ground. He raced again trying to catch up to Riku. He was catching up inch by inch. The two landed on the ground again and caught their breaths.

They remembered what Kiki had told them. " _Remember how Chakra needs spiritual energy? Well that requires focus. You need to stay calm and focus on the tree otherwise you won't get a steady chakra flow in the bottoms of your feet."_

The two focused charging the chakra with their hand signs focusing only on the trees in front of them.

" _I can feel it….."_ Riku thought in his mind

" _Yeah just like before with Dad!"_ Naruto thought excitedly keeping focus.

" _I'm going all the way this time!"_ they thought at the same time and began to race however…

"Riku Naruto!" Kiki called making them trip. "Oops sorry, I didn't realize you were focusing."

"Yeah we were!" Naruto snapped annoyed.

"What's up?" Riku asked dusting himself off.

"I came out to get you. Kakashi said it's time to call it a day." She said as they headed down she explained what she had seen on the way.

"Wow that's so sad." Naruto sighed.

"That definitely explains Inari's attitude." Riku sighed in agreement. He then smiled at her. "Don't worry we're gonna help them!"

"Believe it!" Naruto added making Kiki smile.

 **X X X**

The group happily ate a good fill of food. "Ninja need food to get strong. But puking won't help you." Kakashi warned making Kiki and the others slow down.

"Sorry, we probably shouldn't be eating this much." Riku said sheepishly.

"No it's no trouble at all." Tazuna's daughter Tsunami said.

Tazuna laughed. "It's been a while since we've had so many guests. And as for you kid you've really surprised me." He said to Kiki.

"What that I eat so much," Kiki said with a laugh. "I'm not that big of an eater compared to someone else I know."

"Who?" Both Riku and Naruto asked.

Kiki thought back to a time she and Hinata Hyuga were at the same restaurant the waitress was shock that she ate so much and merely pointed to Hinata who was paying up front when she told her that pile of plates were actually Hinata's, much to her shock.

Naruto then noticed Inari glancing at the picture. "Hey it's torn, do you know why old man?" Naruto asked everything went silence. It was in that instant he could feel Riku's glare on him.

"It's my husband." Tsunami replied quietly.

"They used to call him a hero in this land." Tazuna muttered sadly. Inari wordlessly got up and left.

"Inari where are you going?!" Tsunami cried out as he left. She quickly followed. "Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari you know that!" She snapped rushing out.

"I'm sorry…" Naruto muttered sadly.

"Don't worry about it." Tazuna replied.

"Is there a story behind this?" Kakashi asked.

Tazuna sighed sucking in a breath remembering some painful memories."I might as well tell you now while their gone. And were this far in."

"He wasn't Inari's real father; he came into our lives later. And he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close." Tazuna began. "Inari used to laugh all the time." he said his voice cracking. "But then…." Tazuna said trying to hold back sobs everyone watched as a few tears fell from his eyes. "All that changed. He never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since the day everything changed. The word Courage was stolen from this island and we were left helpless and hopeless and Inari suffered the most, ever since that day."

"Tell us what happened?" Kakashi said sympathetically.

"First you need to know about the man his father…." Tazuna replied, "The man who taught us the word courage, a hero in this land." Tazuna said wiping his eyes and composing himself.

"A hero?" Riku asked as Naruto and Kiki listened intently.

"You can decide that for yourself, he came here about three years ago." Tazuna

 _ **Flashback…..**_

 _Tazuna thought back to a day when the island was much more beautiful and peaceful. However there was a ruckus at the docks. Inari who had blue overalls back then, was chasing after a few older boys that had taken his dog. He was being held back by the other two._

" _Poochi! Poochi no!" Inari cried out the small dog with white fur and pointed ears barked back at him. The boy holding Poochi had a hard hat a bandage on his noise and a blue and tan shirt._

" _That's not his name starting today his name is Meteor and he's my Dog now." The boy said rudely._

" _No he's not he's my dog! And his name is Poochi." Inari whined. "I've had him since he was a puppy he's my friend and he doesn't belong to you!" he yelled thrashing in the arms of the bullies that held him tight._

" _Just shut up!" the other boy snarled then looked at Poochi before throwing him into the dog._

" _POOCHI!" Inari shouted. The Dog rushed to the surface trying desperately to stay above the water._

" _See what happens when you don't listen to me?" The boy growled cruely. "Okay you guys can let him go." He said his two cronies let him go._

" _Why'd you do that!? My dog is gonna drown!" Inari snapped._

" _If he's your dog go and get him." the older boy simply replied. "After all that talk you're not just gonna let him go under are you?"_

 _Inari went up to the edge of the dock were Poochi was whining and crying trying to stay afloat._

"I've got to save him! I've got to jump in, but I can't swim…." _Inari whimpered in his thoughts._

" _You made such a big deal about him go and get him!" the boy said kicking him into the water where now Inari was desperately trying to stay afloat._

" _I think you went too far Kanae, he could really drown or something." Said the boy with spiky white hair in a worried tone._

" _Forget about him." Kanae said._

" _But-" The boy started before Kanae grabbed him by the shirt._

" _You say one more word you're going in next got it?!" he snarled._

" _I DON'T WAN- I Don't want to dieeeee!" Inari cried as he splashed in the water. Then he saw Poochi swimming for sure. "Poochi! Pooochiiii!" Inari cried out but the Dog ignored him._

 _ **Riku, knowing what being brutally bullied was like, just glared at the ground… this was hard to hear. Kiki looked at him sadly as Tazuna continued.**_

" _ **Interestingly enough, at that moment Poochi had figured out how to Dog paddle…"**_

 _Poochi had made it shore shook off his coat and high tailed it. "Hey Meteor is getting away!" Kanae shouted as they ran after him forgetting Inari who sunk beneath the waves and passed out._

 _The next thing he knew the smell of roasted fish wafted to his nose he opened his eyes to see smoke floating above him in the clear blue sky._

" _Waking up huh? Finally." Said a voice he didn't recognize. He jumped up to see a man in a purple shirt sitting by the fire where some fish were being cooked. "I had a little talk with those kids they won't bother you again." he said revealing he had a small scar on his chin with spiky black hair and a rope band tied around his head. "Here." He said holding up a fish for Inari. "You must be hungry."_

"Am I alive? Is this for real?!" _Inari thought to himself as he stared. "Did you pull me out of the water Mister?"_

" _Have a bite to eat first. Then we can talk all about it." the man replied as he did they did talk. "I see, so your dog abandoned you too huh? In my country Dogs are very loyal they stand by their Masters. Then again you abandoned the Dog first so what can you expect?" he asked. Stopping mid bite Inari looked sadly to the ground._

" _I really wanted to save him but I just froze." Inari sadly said. "I guess I don't have any courage…" he said starting to cry only for the man to pat him on the head._

" _Hey don't be so hard on yourself." He said comforting Inari. "You're just a kid. When I was your age I was scared too. But remember this," he said as Inari looked at him intently. "Always live your life so you don't have any regrets. If you love something protect it, no matter how hard no matter how sad you get you've got to keep trying. Even if it means putting your life on the line, protect it with both arms." He said flexing his a little revealing a couple of scars on them as Inari stared listening in awe._

" _ **His name was Kaiza a simple fishermen who had come from another country to follow his dreams. After that Inari and Kaiza were inseparable. The boy had never known his real father so you can imagine what is was like for him to have Kaiza in his life. Tazuna explained remembering all the time the two spent together Inari even tying his own rope band around his head and going fishing with him and Tsunami. "They spent much time together Inari following in his footsteps like father and son." He said as everyone smiled listening. "Kaiza spent more and more time with us until he naturally became a part of our family. And then when this town needed him he became something more…."**_

 _He thought back to the day of a terrible storm. A villager burst into the house. "We've got trouble Kaiza. The Flood gate is open and the waters rising. If we don't stop it the lower district will be flooded!"_

" _What?!" Kaiza cried in shock standing up._

" _Father!" Inari cried._

" _Inari get me some rope!" Kaiza said to him._

" _Right!" Inari cried running to grab some. Kaiza after getting it from his son raced out to the flood gate with the other two right behind him as fast as he could. The town's folk wearing rain hats were gathered around the flood gate worriedly watching as it refused to shut._

" _See where the gate is? We have to get a line out there to pull it closed!" said one villager._

" _A line you'd have to swim out there to do that!" said another. "It's impossible no one can swim in that current!"_

" _We have no other choice otherwise the entire lower district will be destroyed!" the other villager argued back._

" _I'll do it," Kaiza said as he arrived._

" _Kaiza don't be foolish you'll never make it!" said another villager._

" _Father…" Inari whimpered worriedly._

" _Don't worry nothing can stop your dad." He said patting Inari on the head. "This is our village so we've got to do everything we can to help." He said smiling as Inari looked at him believing in him. Inari remembered his words as he jumped in and swam, Inari watching the whole time._

"If you care about something protect it."

"Even if you have to put your life on the line!"

"Protect it with both arms never give in!"

" _FATHER I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!" Inari cheered screaming to him as Kaiza fought his way to the flood gates._

" _He made it he's tied the rope!" shouted a villager._

" _Everybody pull!" shouted another as they all gathered and pulled the flood gate shut._

" _ **From that day on Kaiza was considered a hero, he taught us the meaning of courage, and Inari was so proud of him proud to be his son. But it wasn't long after, that Gato came he terrorized the entire village only Kaiza stood up to him."**_

 _Gato had taken Kaiza to the nearby warehouse and was beating him excessively._

" _ **Gato couldn't have a Local hero standing in his way. It took his whole Gang to take down one man."**_

 _Kaiza grunted in pain as a man beat him in the back of the neck with a metal stick. "What's wrong Kaiza? All that, talk about protecting this land with both your arms. Those arms aren't much good now though. Still got that defiant look in your eye though…" he sneered as Kaiza glared at him. But he started laughing evilly. "We'll fix that soon enough, get to work on him." he barked to his men as one of them kicked Kaiza to the ground. Then two large men came grinning evilly with large heavy wooden hammers and swung them. Throughout the night a constant chilling shriek of agonized pain filled the air._

 _And then the next day Gato forced the village to gather watching as fire wood was being piled under Kaiza who was tied to a pole with his arms out for all to say. Purple flat and crippled they looked more like sickly rubber gloves then arms with the scars now black. The rest of him wasn't much better beaten bruised covered in bloody cuts and black and blue bruises his one eye swollen shut blood trickled down the side of his head and mouth as the thugs finished covering him in lighter fluid._

" _Listen up!" Gato shouted, "This man has defied the Gato Corporation he has disturbed the order of this land." Gato said grinning evilly seeing the horrified faces looking at him and Kaiza. "His punishment is execution! Let this be an example so that no one will dare get in our way again!" he shouted._

" _FATHER!" Inari wailed from behind the chain link fence._

" _Inari no!" Gyichi warned Inari as he bawled watching him and the thugs coming closer with torches._

" _Father no!" He cried Kaizo merely gave one last smile before the torches were pressed against the wood. "DAADDDDDYYYYYY!" he cried as fire instantly rushed upwards covering his father immediately._

" _ **You told me *sob*….that you….protect me….*sob* and this land…with both your arms!...*sob hic* you made me believe you could do it….*sob*….but it was all….a lie…."**_

 **X X X**

"Since then Inari's changed, so did Tsunami and all our people. We lost our will." Tazuna said.

"That's so awful…." Riku muttered in horror and sadness. Naruto was glaring into the wall at the picture. Thinking about this angry with Gato for everything he did; monopolizing the Land of Waves and cutting it off from the rest of the world killing a kind man like Kaiza. Inari's words ran through his head.

" _Heh, there's no such thing as Heroes….Only stupid kids believe that!"_

The boys also thought about Inari crying over the picture. Riku had figured out a while ago that it was actually in the frame he was looking at.

" _Kiki's right, we have to do something….we have too…."_ Riku thought looking at the picture himself.

Naruto suddenly tried to stand. Only to fall, "Naruto you okay?" Kiki asked.

"You'd better take the day off; you've used up a lot of chakra. Any more and it could kill you." Kakashi said but Naruto stubbornly got to his feet. His legs shaking he turned with a determined grin on his face.

"I'm gonna prove it….that in this world there _**are**_ Heroes!" Naruto said. Riku and Kiki grinned inspired by his determination.

"Let's prove it to him!" Kiki said.

"Yeah time we brought hope back to his land!" Riku said determinedly. Tazuna smiled at them Kakashi couldn't help but do so himself, hoping to get back up to snuff before Zabuza returned, they would prove to this land that Heroes weren't gone!

* * *

 _ **So Kaizo being burnt alive, I read somewhere that that's what actually happened in the Manga. But this is what happens when you take information from a Wikipedi- esque site at face value. Derp! XP I kept it because AU hopefully that's not a problem. But something I did find out. Kaiza is killed the same way in the Manga but instead of just crushing his arms. He cuts them off! Yeah Gato's a Sadistic Bastard! But you knew that already especially if you've read the Manga/Watched the anime or whatever.**_

 _ **Also, in the original Dub of the episode this chapter was based on the Dog's name is Shooting star since that might be one word in Japanese I figured I do something similar to what the translation Team did with Nebby who is starcloud or Hoshigormo I think in Japan. I changed the name to Meteor which is basically the same thing.**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	8. The Return of Zabuza

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up. Idea and Characters by FreeLancer1989 special thanks to him for editing_

 _ **The Return of Zabuza!**_

Morning had crept up over Gato's manor he stood looking out the window, letting the hair tied tightly in his bun down, letting his long brown hair go past his shoulders to his mid back. After changing into less conspicuous clothes a pink kimono with purple swirls with a salmon trim a white sash and a black choker. He started making his way towards the forest looking for a specific plant.

As he walked through the forest and started picking herbs for Zabuza, soon a little bird came to say hi to him sitting on his shoulder. He smiled at it. It merely cocked its head in response then it flew off he heard faint snoring, and looked over to see a blob of orange sprawled out on the grass, with several birds landing on him pecking him slightly making him moan slightly in his sleep and shoo them off. Upon closer inspection it was the boy who was enraged by his interference.

" _What is this?! Who do you think you are?!"_

He was asleep, alone and helpless, with no one else in sight…he could easily end one of their enemies then and there. 

**X X X**

Kiki had gotten up early, but found Naruto hadn't returned and went out to look for him. " _Could he have really stayed out there all night again, he's dedicated, I'll give him that. But too much training and even if he does master chakra control, he won't have enough to help us fight Zabuza when he comes back. And that's assuming he hasn't killed himself using too much Chakra."_ She thought to herself thinking that Naruto was probably the only reason they had escaped with their lives when Kakashi was caught. She returned to where they were training. And saw someone strange standing over him. It was a girl she hadn't seen before her hand was extended towards Naruto's neck Kiki gasped quickly doing hand signs watching her movements carefully. However her hand twitched before going to Naruto's shoulder.

"Hey you'll catch a cold if you sleep here, wake up." she said gently shaking Naruto awake. Kiki sighed in relief.

" _Oh good I was just about to shoot her full of roots…"_

"Huuuhh?" Naruto muttered waking up slowly opening his eyes and sitting up rubbing his eyes half asleep. "Who the heck are you?" he asked as his mind focused he saw that it was a girl and blushed a little. "Oh I mean hi, where'd you come from? Ya know what are you doing out here an all that?"

"I'm gathering herbs." She replied.

"Herbs?" Naruto asked.

"That's right," She said with a smile, "They're for illnesses and treating wounds." Kiki watched from the tree she was behind as they talked. She smiled as they seemed to be hitting it off. Naruto even offered to help him pick the herbs she was gathering. Eventually Naruto sat down.

"You start work early huh Sis." Naruto replied.

"I like it early." She replied. "It's usually quiet but I didn't expect to find anyone sleeping out here."

Naruto giggled, "Ya see I was training."

"Oh?" she asked, "does that mean you're a ninja? Because I noticed that headband you were wearing. Or are you just making a fashion statement."

Naruto blushed. "Oh you noticed," He said giggling. "Only super cool Ninja, get to wear these."

"I see, that's very impressive, but does that mean you're training for something dangerous?" she asked.

"I'm just developing my skills so I can get stronger." Naruto replied.

"But you're already really strong now isn't that enough?" the girl asked. Kiki couldn't help but nod. She was posing interesting questions. She herself wanted to become a strong Kounichi to do that she had to be stronger than she was now. And Naruto seemed to agree.

"No, no I need to practice and get stronger and stronger!" Naruto chirped.

"I see, why, is that so important?" the girl asked.

"So I can be the best Ninja in my village. That way everyone will know who I am and my name and not just 'Hokage's kid' and there's a certain person a kid that I have to prove something." Naruto explained.

"So are you doing this for this certain person, or are you doing all this training for yourself?" The girl asked confusing Naruto, she giggled.

"What are you laughing about what's so funny?!" Naruto snapped.

"Is there someone who's precious too you?" She asked Kiki thought hard about this there were people precious to her here and back in the village but somehow the girl's meaning of precious probably meant more than that.

"Someone who….what, do ya mean sis? I have friends but precious, precious how?" Naruto asked wording Kiki's thoughts, it was then the girl seemed to zone out.

 **X X X**

 _Haku's mind drifted back to a time when Hell was freezing. He was always hungry and cold people passed by like he wasn't even there. He sat by a dumpster waiting for a worker from the nearby restaurant to throw some wasted food into it. When the person finally came as he had dozed off a little he jumped up and started going through the bag. He suddenly heard barking. He turned to see a Dog snarling and growling at him. It was thin and bony it's ribs very visible through its skin. So it was weak enough for Haku to give it a good kick making it yelp and whine as it skid across the frozen concrete. Then more growling but much more high pitched. This was a mother Dog was getting up as her two pups tried to defend her Haku sighed his Heart bleeding he surrendered the food. He was huddled against the bridge. Head into his knees footsteps stopped at him for the first time, someone noticed him. He looked up Zabuza dressed in a hidden mist Jounin Uniform back then, was looking directly at him. He knew of him everyone did. Zabuza, the Demon. And yet somehow the Demon would lead him away from Hell._

 **X X X**

" _What is she thinking about?"_ Naruto and Kiki asked themselves as both watched her from their respective spots as she looked back up.

"You see…" she finally said at last after her bout of deep thought. "When a person has someone precious that they want to protect then they become _genuinely_ strong."

"Ooohhh…" Kiki said to herself in awe. Naruto thought deeply about this as well. Kiki thought to Kakashi and the tale of Kaiza.

" _When the Village needed him he became something more…"_

" _I'll protect you with my life all of you…"_

 _Naruto thought to that night, when some asshole ninja named Mizuki with white hair and a head bandana, had tried to steal a Scroll of Forbidden jutsu. His mother, Kushina had found Mizuki and an injured Iruka. She'd deflected his massive shuriken and demanded he give up._

" _Minato is a failure as a Hokage! He could win a war practically single handedly, but couldn't stop a lousy demon? He failed to stop the Uchiha coup, and now he's off hiding in disgrace!" Mizuki laughed, Kushina was about ready to punch him for all, only for Naruto to get to the guy first. Eyes flashing red for merely a second, but the power in that punch were enough to knock Mizuki back and lose the scroll. He saw Naruto snarling at him holding the scroll._

" _Don't you EVER insult my father, again!" Naruto growled._

Naruto smiled, "Yeah, I think I get it! I know exactly what you're saying." The Girl smiled back and stood up.

"You will get strong, very strong." Naruto smiled and chuckled at this. "Good bye we'll meet again sometime." She said turning away and walking off, but turned back to him. "Oh and by the way I'm a boy." He said turning back and walking off.

"WHA?!" Naruto yelped, as he held his hands to his head jaw completely dropped eyes twisted in confusion and shock. " _No way he's prettier than Kiki!"_

As the boy continued on, he stopped glancing around then stared at the tree Kiki was behind she stayed as still as possible. After a few tense moments he left. Once she felt safe she poked her head out.

" _Did he sense me?"_ She asked herself as she turned back to Naruto in the clearing.

"Wow I've seen a lot of weird things in my life before but this takes the cake!" Naruto said.

"Hey!" Kiki said making him immediately look at her as she crossed her arms. "Did you forget about Breakfast?"

"Uhhhh, maybe…." Naruto said standing up scratching the back of his head.

"Naruto if you use too much Chakra you'll make yourself sick or worse!" Kiki nagged, "Anyway let's head back. It wouldn't surprise me if Riku and Kakashi sensei were looking for us now."

"Right!" Naruto said as they began walking back towards Tazuna's home.

" _Speaking of Riku….that boy was almost as cute as him…wait."_ Kiki's face which had a faint blush instantly turned a deep red. _"Wait what?! Why did I think that...? WHY'D I THINK THAT?! WHY'D I THINK THAT?!"_ She shook her head frantically and moaned in embarrassment making Naruto look back.

"Hey you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Oh!" Kiki said standing up stiffly and rubbing the back of her head now. "Ye-Yeah perfectly fine peachy why'd you ask!?" she said quickly giggling.

 **X X X**

"Kiki, Naruto!" Riku shouted as he and Kakashi using one crutch now as he was improving looked around. "Where could they have gone…" he sighed tapping his foot.

Suddenly a Kunai was launched right at their feet. The two instantly looked up from where it was thrown. It was Naruto laying on the branch grinning brightly at them. "What do you think I'm really high!" He said excitedly.

"Naruto can climb that high with his Chakra now? Way to go!" Riku said in awe. Kakashi hummed in amusement.

"Is it high enough for you Kakashi Sensei? It's a long way down." he said standing up and suddenly slipping and screaming as he began to fall off the branch.

"Naruto!" Riku shouted rushing towards the tree.

"Uh oh!" Kakashi muttered, as he rushed forward Riku stopped when he saw Naruto expertly catch himself on the tree. His feet clung to the branch and he looked at them.

"Gotcha!" he giggled excitedly. "You really fell for it you guys believe it!" he said bursting into laughter.

"I have half a mind to come up there and slug you!" Riku shouted angrily having been worried for Naruto. "Don't _ever_ do that!"

"Naruto if you're not careful this could end badly." Kakashi warned, then as if by timing Naruto's feet popped up both him and Riku went bugged eyed at this as he truly fell this time.

"YOU OVER DID IT!" Riku shouted before he could do anything as Naruto screamed Kiki leapt at the tree raced up it and too the branch and clung from it with one hand and grabbed Naruto with the other.

"You're wasting too much Chakra! You clearly didn't recover from your training last night, so you didn't have enough to mess around like that!" Kiki scolded as she sighed in relief. Riku fell back in relief himself.

"Oh my word…" he muttered in a rasp. "Nice work Kiki…" he said wearily.

Kakashi sighed but smiled under his mask. He hoped Naruto's antics wouldn't strip him and the other two of their sanity by the time their training was done. Inari watched as the four ninja came into view he focused on the blonde then looked to the picture of his father.

"Naruto Uzumaki…."

At Gato's hide out Zabuza crushed an apple in his hand, and looked at it. "You're recovering quickly…." He said.

"Just a little longer, Haku." Zabuza muttered glancing to the wall as Haku agreed with him.

 **X X X**

It was later that night, Naruto and Riku had made it to the top. Kiki decided to join them. "You guys did really well."

"Looks like we're now as good as you," Riku replied then winked. "Told you I wouldn't lose to you."

"You were right," she giggled, she then noticed Riku in the moon light, his hair seemed to blend with the moon light reflecting a silvery ebony with a hint of Sapphire. His skin was glowing in the moon light and he looked very heroic and princely sitting there enjoying the wind.

" _Is there, someone who's precious to you?"_ the boy's voice rang in her head, Riku looked at her noticing her eyes glittering with like stars at him her hair blowing gracefully as the silver light tinted her in just a way that made her look elegant and mysterious.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, uh nothing, it's just uhhh… the moonlight makes you look good." Riku said quickly, his cheeks turning red.

"Oh," Kiki said blushing, "uhhh you too…" she said looking away slightly.

"Hey! You two should kiss!" Naruto said happily from the tree behind theirs. They yelped and looked away from each other both shooting a side glare, to the blonde. He just sat their giggling. Riku glared at him after a minute.

"Knock it off!" Riku growled, Naruto just sat there grinning.

"Kiki and Riku sitting in a tree," he said cheekily.

Riku's eye twitched, "Okay that's it!" he said hopping towards Naruto's tree and landing on the branch adjacent to him.

"Gah!" Naruto yelped taking off down the tree. "I REGRET NOTHING!" he shouted running down the tree as Kiki watched Riku chase after him running down the side.

"Oh I'll make you regret everything!" Riku shouted as he ran down the tree after him. Kiki watched blinking before smiling to herself.

 **X X X**

Kakashi was sitting at the table with Tazuna as Tsunami set out dishes, "they're all late, I wouldn't have expected this from Riku and Kiki." Kakashi hummed he stood up to go find them only for the kids to walk in on their own. Kiki had managed to convince Riku to spare Naruto, they'd all had a good laugh about it and walked in with a grin on their faces, despite how dirty and worn out they looked.

"You all look like something the cat dragged in." Tazuna muttered looking at them.

"Riku and Naruto, made it to the top!" Kiki announced. Naruto and Riku grinned at him.

"Good," Kakashi said nodding. "Now we move on, Naruto, Riku starting tomorrow you'll both be body guards for Tazuna." Kakashi said. All three of them smiled brightly, Naruto let out a loud cheer and leaned back, causing the other two to go with him.

"Ahhh Naruto!" Riku playfully whined as they all laughed. Soon the group enjoyed a delicious meal.

"In a few more days," Tazuna said to them. "The Bridge will be complete and I have all of you to thank for that."

"You've all done great so far but you've still got to be careful." Tsunami added.

"I've been meaning to ask you, but I haven't been able too until now." Tazuna said. "Why, did you stay to protect me even when you found out I lied to bring you here."

"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong cowardice cannot survive." Kakashi replied simply.

"That's something my Great Grandpa said once!" Kiki said excitedly.

"Right a quote from the first Hokage Hashirama Senju." Kakashi replied. Inari muttered a sound of amusement and then looked at Naruto, who was sleeping peacefully, at the table still worn from his training eating and escaping Riku's wrath.

Inari watched him and Riku along with Kiki, but he was more focused on Naruto. Making him think of his father, how he saved the village from the flood. Then how his arms were crippled and how he was burnt alive as he cried and cried. And his famous words, ' _If you care about something keep trying protect it with both arms.'_ His final words, _'Inari, don't cry…."_

"But…why…" he muttered waking Naruto and getting the attention of the three students. As Inari, slammed his hands on the table; "all this traning is just a waste of time! Gato's got a whole army; they'll beat you down and destroy you! These cool things you all say they don't mean anything!"

"That's not true!" Kiki said slightly offended but trying to comfort him all the same.

"Yes it is! You think you're gonna be different from anyone else who tried to stand up to him well you're not and idiot there is going to be the first to go!" Inari said pointing to Naruto.

"What you say?!" Naruto growled, glaring at him. Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. "We _are_ going to be different we're all super Ninja and one super ninja like my Dad and I can take out whole armies and between the four of us we can out a million armies believe it!" Naruto shouted glaring.

"That's wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!" Inari screamed as Tazuna and Tsunami stared at him. "No matter who you are or what happens, the strong always win and the weak always lose!"Riku was shaking a little at this but Kiki spoke up first.

"Just speak for you self!" she huffed, "It won't be like that for us, we're going to help get that bridge built and things will get better! Or maybe you've been too busy wallowing in self-pity to notice we're so close!"

"Why don't you be quiet, looking at all of you makes me sick!" Inari shouted, "none of you know anything about this country all of you always playing around laughing! None of you know what it's like to suffer or be treated like dirt."

Riku's hand slammed on the table, "You shut your mouth," he said glaring right into Inari, "Listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim! You can whimper all day but you're just a coward!"

"You said it!" Naruto agreed.

"Hey that was-" Kiki began but Naruto just turned away, Riku however got up and stormed out, hands in his pockets. Inari was crying as Kakashi looked at him.

 **X X X**

Inari was sitting by himself out by the docks. Kakashi came up behind him. "Can I talk to you?" he asked, Inari he looked back but didn't refuse as Kakashi sat beside him. "Naruto and Riku can be a bit harsh but neither of them hate, you. Your Grandfather told us what happened to your father. You probably don't know this but Naruto spends a lot of time without his father around. And Riku has been treated like dirt; Him and his whole family."

"Huh?" Inari asked looking at him.

"Still I've never Riku cry or sulk and Naruto is firmly optimistic, both have never given up. Riku wants to show his family can be trusted and earn the village's respect. And Naruto is very proud of his father but wants very much to stand out as his own person. That's what they dream about and will do anything to make it happen." Kakashi explained. "His father always spent time with him and his mother as he could, and taught Naruto to never give up as well. And Riku, well I guess he got tired of crying and decided to do something about it." Kakashi said as Inari looked at him.

He glanced down at the water thoughtfully. "They're both young and still learning but they know what it means to be strong like your father did. As for Riku, I think he and his family know you've been through." Kakashi said glancing at the moon. "What Riku said as cruel as it was true, he's probably told himself that a thousand times," Kakashi said smiling at Inari, who was thinking deeply about what Kakashi had said.

The morning came and Kakashi, Riku, and Kiki were walking out the door with Tazuna. "Okay I leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed his body to the limit as usual so he may not be able to move today at all."

"What about you? You're still recovering." Tsunami said glancing at Kakashi with a motherly tone.

"What do I look wobbily? I'll be fine." Kakashi assured.

"Come on let's go!" Tazuna said as the group headed off.

 **X X X**

Gato, who had his arm in a sling, was on a phone growling at Zabuza and Haku. "Still wasting time licking your wounds?! I gave you a job to do!"

" _Hey are you listening?"_ Gato shouted over the walky talky as Zabuza slammed his foot on it shattering it instantly.

"Haku are you ready?" Zabuza asked glancing at the bridge which was in progress.

"Yes," Haku replied his mask back on and everything.

 **X X X**

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and gasped he looked around to find Riku and Kiki gone. He jumped up. "Why didn't somebody wake me up!?" he said rushing out to Tsunami washing dishes. "Where is everybody where'd they all go?!" he shouted.

Tsunami turned to him. "Oh Naruto, your sensei wanted to let you rest, you got the day off."

"AHHH! I knew it they ditched me!" Naruto shouted rushing back into the other room taking off his pajamas and sleep cap. He quickly dressed himself and rushed out the door. "See ya!" he shouted rushing across the branches almost like a fox on all fours as he scrambled to the bridge.

"Geeze they could've woke me up ya know!" Naruto said to himself but he suddenly saw a slashed up boar lying on its side. Its fur ruffled and its body covered in deep gashes. Naruto looked around and saw branches all broken or cut? His dad taught him the difference between broken branches and cut ones and a little about tracking. Carefully sliding his finger across on of them it was smooth. "That's definitely a cut." He said and saw a trail heading back to Inari's house. "Uh oh," Naruto said immediately rushing back in the other direction. Hoping from tree to tree, "I hope I'm not too late."

 **X X X**

"Inari could you give me a hand here please?" Tsunami called up to her son.

"I'm coming!" Inari called as Gato's two thugs stood outside the house. They both flexed their swords. The one with the Goatee with a love of attacking instantly sliced the wall making a hole for them to just walk in as Tsunami gasped in fear. The one with the toque smirked.

"So you're Tazuna's daughter huh? Too bad you'll have to come with us." He said smirking. Inari had been up in the bathroom washing his hands when his mother suddenly cried out with items crashing around violently. Quickly rushed down the stairs, he found his mother huddled in the corner in fear, as the two thugs loomed sneering over her.

"Mom?!" he shouted running into the room.

"NO DON'T COME IN HERE RUN AWAY HURRY!" Tsunami cried in horror. The two thugs turned and saw Inari who twitched.

"Should we grab this one too?" The eye patched one asked turning to his partner.

"No Gato only asked for one Hostage." The white haired one replied.

" _Hostage!?"_ Inari whimpered in his thoughts.

"Alright….THEN LETS WASTE HIM!" the eye patched one said pulling out his sword chuckling evilly.

"WAIT!" Tsunami cried out, sobbing a little before composing herself in spite of her fear. "Please don't hurt him he's just a boy. I will do anything you ask, just please, leave my son alone."

The Goateed one frowned and sheathed his sword, while his partner smirked. "Heh looks like your mom came through for ya kid." Inari started to cry falling to his knees.

"What a waste, I was ready to cut something." The Goateed one growled.

"Give it a rest," His partner sighed, "you already drew blood today." He said before turning to Tsunami. "Let's get her out of here." They forced Tsunami to her feet and tied her arms and walked her out. Inari cried and cried. "I'm sorry, mom, I'm sorry! _Sob,_ what could I do?...I'm too scared to protect you…. _sob_ …What could I do?….I don't want to die…. _sniff,"_ A tear hit the floor and instantly Riku's words rushed into his head.

" _Coward, listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim, you can whine all day for all I care you're just a coward!"_ Riku's glare from last night bore into his mind and his soul.

Then came Kakashi's smiling face. " _Naruto's father taught him to never give up as well. And Riku well, I guess he got tired of crying and decided to do something about it. They're both young and learning but they know what it means to be strong like your father did."_

Inari steadied his crying and looked at his hands as his father's words drifted into his head. " _If you love something protect it even if you have to put your life on the line. Protect it with both arms."_ He then thought about his mother's smiling face; Then all the people fighting for this land; His mother, and Grandfather, Naruto, Kiki, Riku and Kakashi. "Can I Can I be that strong too?" he said standing up and rushing after the three, who had made it all the way to the docks.

Tsunami had let out a slight sob alerting the Goateed one who laughed as she glared at them. "We're gonna take good care of you." he said as they headed to the bridge. "So don't worry your pretty little head."

"Come on keep moving!" The White haired one said tugging at the lead hard making her yelp.

"STOP!" Inari shouted as he found them they looked back at the young boy.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little tough guy." The Goateed on sneered.

"Inari!" Tsunami called out.

"Well, well, come to save your mommy?" The Goateed one mocked as Inari glared.

"You….You'd better get away from my mom!" he shouted running with a battle cry.

"Kids a little short on brains don't you think?" The Goateed one asked flexing his sword as did his partner.

"Take him down." he growled as Inari charged.

"If you hurt him I swear!" Tsunami shouted only for the whitehaired thug to neck chop her knocking her out.

"Shut up, take a nap." He said she moaned his name as he charged and screamed, there was a slash his hat flying in the air they smirked and looked at where the boy was but it was only a log sliced into two. "What the?! A substitution Jutsu!?"

"The woman she's gone!" shouted the Goateed one.

"Sorry I'm a little late," said a new voice seeing a boy with blonde hair and an Orange jump suit with Inari in one arm and laying Tsunami down with the other…Naruto. "But you know Heroes always show up at the last minute.

"Naruto, it's you!" Inari said in surprise.

"Who else?" Naruto asked grinning turning to Inari. "Inari you did great, when you charged they forgot about your mom for a minute that let me use a super cool Jutsu to get her away from them."

"Oh!" Inari said looking at his mom who moaned but would be fine. He had done something that thought warmed his heart and made his eyes water a little. But then he thought of something. "How'd you know those Samurai guys were coming?"

"I found a boar that had been attacked in the forest, and all the trees had been cut up like someone had been practicing with a sword. There was a trail of cut up branches leading back to the house so I followed them."

"That's really, smart…" Inari said impressed.

"Blah blah," The white haired one sneered, resisting the urge to yell at his partner for giving them away. "you think you're really smart do ya?"

"It's one of those Ninja brats Tazuna hired." The Goateed one growled.

"Get him!" his partner yelled as they charged swords drawn.

"They're coming!" Inari cried, Naruto merely threw shuriken but they were blocked by the samurai who kept moving.

"Heh try something else!" The toque one shouted. Naruto smiled at them.

"I did…" the shuriken changed into Shadow Clones and whacked both of them. Blood spilt from their noses and mouths as they hit the ground.

 **X X X**

"Achooo!" Naruto sneezed rubbing his nose. As they stood looking out at the horizon with the two thugs bound and gagged.

"They say when you sneeze it's because someone's talking about ya." Inari said.

"You don't really believe that do ya?" Naruto asked. "Hey listen sorry about Yesterday, and I know Riku is too he said calling you a coward was too harsh just before we went to sleep. And it's not true anyway. You were really brave!" he said patting Inari on the head.

"Darn it! I…I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore! You're gonna make fun of me. But I can't help it, I'm just so happy." Tears welled up in the little boy's eyes once again

"What are you talking about? You're happy what's wrong with that." Naruto replied, smiling. "When you're happy it's okay to cry ya know really it is."

"Naruto…." He said happily wiping his eyes as Naruto stood up.

"Okay can I leave things here with you?" Naruto asked.

"yeah!" Inari said confidently.

"Okay than I'm heading to the bridge!" Naruto said running off. "It's not easy being a hero believe it!"

"Believe it!" Inari said happily as Naruto took off running.

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	9. Battle on the Bridge!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up. Idea and Characters by FreeLancer1989 special thanks to him for editing_

* * *

 _ **Battle on the Bridge! The secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice mirrors!**_

Riku's group had made it to the bridge and they were met with a shocking sight, Tazuna stared trembling in horror. "Wait…what the hell happened here?!" he said looking at his crew the bridge over the week had extended all the way to a few feet away from the land of fire. But the crew, were all over the ground bruises starting to form on their bodies moaning in pain. "Someone was here someone got to them!" he said frantically.

" _Could it be?"_ Kakashi asked himself, in his thoughts. It was just then a familiar fog filled the area. "This mist…" He muttered.

"Oh no…" Riku muttered.

"Kakashi sensei he's back!" Kiki said in alarm.

"Riku, Kiki, get ready!" he said as they gathered around Tazuna. Both readied their Kunai as Tazuna gritted his teeth. "I knew he'd be back. He just couldn't wait for round two."

"Sorry to keep you waiting Kakashi." Zabuza sneered in the mist. "I see you've still got those brats with you." he said glancing at Kiki who was shaking. "The Girl is still trembling, how pathetic." He said, Kiki gasped as they were surrounded by Zabuza and his water clones.

Kiki merely breathed and narrowed her eyes. "I'm trembling, because I'm angry at the pain you and your boss have caused this land." She said.

"Kiki, Riku show them." Kakashi simply said. Kiki wove hand signs insantly.

" _ **Wood Style, Giant Forest Jutsu!"**_ Large wooden spears shot out of her arm and pierced two of the clones. Riku with a flash of speed sliced through the other three with his Kunai.

The two landed on their feet side by side, "So none of them were real." Kiki said.

"Yeah," Riku replied glancing at her, " _I saw it…."_

"Oooh, so you took out my water clones, the brats have improved." Zabuza said as he and Haku stepped into view. "Looks like you've got Rivals Haku."

"So it seems." Haku agreed as the five Ninja stared each other down.

"Well, well," Kakashi said breaking the silence. "So I had it right. It was all an act with a cute little mask."

"Wait, are you saying these two are partners?!" Kiki asked in shock.

"Pretty much, the phony has a lot of nerve showing his face here again or mask I should say." Riku replied.

"That makes way too much sense…" Tazuna sighed. "All that stuff about being a tracker Ninja protecting his village was just a bunch of Bull."

"I'd say they've been pulling scams like the one they pulled on us all the time." Kakashi replied. "Who does he think he is? Hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown." Kakashi said in an intimidating tone.

" _That's the sensei who gave us our first mission brief…jeeze that seems like ages ago but it's only been two weeks."_ Riku thought to himself before glaring right at Haku, ready to take him out.

"They're impressive." Haku said while Zabuza let out a grunt. "Even though they were one tenth the strength of the Original Water Clone Jutsu, they did destroy them all."

"That move still gave us the advantage. Do it!" Zabuza said.

"Right," Haku said spinning at fast as he could towards the two.

"Whoa!" Kiki gasped.

"What the-?!" Riku said as Haku got closer.

"I got him!" Riku said pulling out two Kunai close to his shoulders as the wind got close, Riku spun in the opposite direction managing to catch two Soba needles with his Kunai they pushed against each other for a bit. Before pushing each other away, Riku threw a kick that Haku easily dodged and swung with his needles. Riku blocked them every time noticing he was starting to see the movements but he had to concentrate. He blocked the needles once again this time more firmly the two stayed like that for a bit trying to overpower the other.

"So he can keep up with Haku's speed huh?" Zabuza asked.

"Mm hmm." Kakashi said firmly, before glancing back at Kiki. "Kiki cover Tazuna."

"You got it!" Kiki replied firmly ready to strike at any time someone threatened Zabuza. Riku and Haku parted for a second clashing left than right, then right again. Kiki watched them closely at times it almost seemed like they hadn't moved. Then they broke apart going a little bit wider. And then rushed at each other arms back and clashing with each other with a very swift spin. It went one way then the other. It was almost like a Dance. The two then rushed at each other midway through the third and clashed again. The sound of Metal sliding and scraping against each other in a battle to overpower each other

Riku held his Kunai against the Soba Needle as much as he could. "We want the bridge builder not you, if you back down I won't have to kill you." Haku warned.

"No way, whether Gato likes it or not, we're breaking his hold on this country and not even you or Zabuza will stop us!" Riku growled glaring at him.

"You're making a mistake." Haku warned. "You won't be able to keep up with my speed."

"I've been doing pretty well so far." Riku said smirking.

"That's only because I haven't used my two advantages." Haku warned.

"Advantages? By which you mean?" Riku asked not breaking his hold but a look of confusion could be seen in his eyes.

"First we're surrounded by water," Haku replied referring to the water that had been spilt all over the bridge when he and Kiki had destroyed them. "Second I've locked one of your hands." Haku added referring to the small weapon war going on Kunai to Soba Needle. "You only have one free hand to defend yourself."

"So do you!" Riku growled pushing harder.

"So you think, but…" Haku replied lifting his free hand and doing a hand sign.

" _What?! Using only one hand!?"_ Riku gasped in his thoughts eyes widening. And to his horror, Haku began moving his hand to make clear hand signs.

"Hand signs with a Single hand? I've never seen that before!" Kakashi gasped.

"This isn't good, Riku!" Kiki called out to him. "Riku, be careful!"

Riku heard her but couldn't respond as he gulped, there was no way to tell, what kind of Ninjutsu it was he didn't know to run or stop Haku from performing the move. In any case it was too late.

" _ **Water Style: A Thousand Needles of death!"**_ He stomped his foot the water around them rose.

" _He doesn't want to kill the kid?"_ Zabuza asked himself watching carefully. _"What are you up to Haku?"_

"Riku!" Kiki called as she and Tazuna watched.

Riku gasped as he was surrounded by thin water needles all poised to pierce every point of his body. Kakashi watched in horror looking up there was no way for Riku to dodge except for up.

Riku knew this too and calmed himself and began focusing holding his free hand to channel and control his chakra. " _Remember your training."_ He remembered training he did running up the tree marking climbing to the top. " _Focus my chakra and gather it to my feet."_ He thought to himself as the needles rushed.

"RIKU!" Kakashi and Kiki cried out.

" _Now!"_ Riku thought leaping high into the air as the needles hit the ground in a small explosion that Haku and backed away from with a bit of a stumble. Riku gasped in shock seeing the land of fire stretching out before him with the land of waves before him. He refocused down on the battle Haku was looking right up at him in shock. He took the time to throw several Shuriken which Haku managed to dodge. Then Riku came up behind him.

"Gotcha, now you'll be defending against my attacks." Riku said smirking as Haku suddenly disappeared. Riku quickly followed him. Spinning to meet his needle he did so but also used his free hand to throw another Kunai making Haku duck but as quickly as he did Riku quickly lowered himself down and landed a massive kick on Haku's face knocking him down and made him skid across the cement in the puddles that were all over the place.

Zabuza stared in awe and disbelief. " _It's not possible; no one is faster than Haku!"_ He growled in his thoughts.

"Guess you're not as fast as you thought." Riku remarked, Haku growled as got to his feet, glaring at the Konoha rookie through his mask

"You made a big mistake insulting these Ninja and calling them brats." Kakashi said simply to Zabuza. "All you've done is make Riku work even harder to prove you wrong. And he's the best young fighter in the Hidden Leaf Village." He glanced at Kiki. "And Kiki here is the best young Ninjutsu user in the Hidden Leaf village." Kiki grinned proudly at this, smirking at Zabuza and Haku. "And last but certainly not there's Naruto, our Number one Gutsy Ninja!"

Zabuza wasn't impressed, he just growled. Naruto wasn't here, but of course Kakashi would flaunt all three, just because his scrub of a student got lucky. Haku had to be holding back. That was the only explanation. He laughed a little causing Riku and Kiki to glare at them.

"Haku, if we keep going like this we'll be the victims instead of them." He said frowning, through the wrappings on his face. "Get on with it!" he growled as Haku got to his feet.

"Right," he said simply looking right at them. It was then Chakra began flowing around him like a mist and Riku could feel a slight chill in the air.

"What's that?" Riku growled eyes narrowing.

"I'm sorry it's come to this." Haku said emotionless.

"The air is getting colder…" Riku muttered. As Haku brought up his hands and did an unrecognizable combination ending with a hand sign that Riku had never seen before.

" _ **Ice Style: Crystal ice mirrors!"**_ Haku declared. It was then ice began rising and forming into strong mirror like sheets of ice. Riku watched as he began to get surrounded, he couldn't bring himself to move as Zabuza smiled under the wrappings on his face. Riku growled as he found himself trapped.

"What is that?" Kiki said to Kakashi sensei as she and the others watched.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling…" Kakashi muttered.

" _Damn it I should've moved, now he's got me right where he wants me…but what does this Jutsu do…? I've never seen anything like it._ " Riku growled in his thoughts. Haku finished the Jutsu and made his way inside the mirrors. Instantly Haku's image was in all the mirrors. " _They're mirrors…?"_ Riku's eyes darted from one to another, seeing the same image on all of them

Kakashi growled and ran towards the mirrors only to be blocked by Zabuza. "If you enter this fight, you fight me…." Zabuza growled. "Your boy has no chance against that jutsu, he's finished."

Riku looked around finding himself surrounded, by images of Haku. "Now we'll begin." Haku said coldly. "And I'll show you what speed really means." He said raising his arms and then started throwing Soba needles. One slashed right on Riku's right side tearing his right sleeve then the other side. He groaned in pain. Then they began to barrage him knocking the Kunai from his hand, his groan becoming a scream of surprise and pain.

"Riku!" Kakashi cried out.

"Just try and help him and I'll kill the other two in a heartbeat." Zabuza snarled with a sick grin seen under the wrappings.

"Riku!" Kiki cried out and grabbed the Kunai. And threw it back to him however Haku caught it coming out of the mirror for just a second and pulled it back in. "Whoa…..where'd it go…." She muttered. To her shock however one had only caught it while the others still continued to barrage Riku with a flurry of needles all he could do was huddle up in the middle while they slashed and pierced his skin. Blood was now leaking down his body and head.

Kiki stared in horror, she growled wanting desperately to help Riku. In fact she couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry….I can't stay with you any longer…I'll come back!" she ran off towards the mirror cage and did hand signs.

" _ **Wood Style, branch arrow Jutsu!"**_ She shouted the trees near by went rigid and shot out a bunch of sharp pointed branches at the dome of mirrors, but they either bounced off or flew through the gaps, causing no damage. "How….grrrr…" she growled rushing forward turning her arm becoming a large wooden fist and began banging against the ice which barely shook. "Let…" _bang_ …."him" _bang_ …."out!" She growled, her other arm becoming coated with hard wood and slamming into the ice. Suddenly, Haku faced her and grabbed her arm. She couldn't escape, gasping as she was pulled into the dome. The next thing she knew she was screaming as she crashed right into Riku, both hitting the cold hard stone of the bridge.

"Ow…." Riku groaned.

"Sorry, Riku…" Kiki groaned but gasped realizing she was trapped as well. " _Tazuna…"_

"Ahh, Young love…young, stupid, just cost you your whole mission love…" Zabuza sneered venomously at the bridge builder. Tazuna stepped back terrified as a Water clone formed in front of him, the same venomous look on its face as it reached back for its massive sword.

"Tazuna!" Kiki shrieked in horror mentally kicking herself what she had done. However the water clone had instantly been destroyed with a well-placed barrage of Shuriken and Kunai. As the water splashed to the ground in front of Tazuna, all eyes turned as Naruto leaped down in front of the bridge builder.

"Naruto!" Riku cried out in cheer.

"He saved Tazuna!" Kiki said happily.

"Just in the nick of time, believe it!" Naruto grinned, a kunai in his right hand.

"That boy…." Haku thought thinking back to when they met.

" _What are you doing out here sleeping in the woods?"_

 _He giggled, "I'm training."_

" _Oh I see impressive are you training for something dangerous?" Haku asked._

" _I'm just developing my skills so I can get stronger." He said._

Zabuza growled throwing shuriken at Naruto and Tazuna, however needles rushed forward and blocked the shurikens. Naruto blinked in awe.

"Who why….uhhh," He looked at Haku. "Hey what's the big idea, what are you playing at! You're the enemy ya know, if you're helping me it's because you want something!"

"I want….to fight you…" he replied simply. "In my way…Zabuza please…"

"Hmph, so you want me to leave this to you Haku is that it?" Zabuza asked. "As usual you're too soft."

"Forgive me…" Haku muttered.

" _Soft?"_ Riku asked himself in his thoughts he felt Kiki check him over.

"Are you alright?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah I'm okay, but…I think I get what Zabuza means." Riku replied.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Look at this." Riku showed her one of his arms.

"He didn't hit any vital spots..." Kiki muttered.

"Exactly, it's like he's not trying to kill any of us… he even made sure you crashed into me so I'd break your fall." Riku noted. Kiki replayed getting pulled in through her thoughts a few times and nodded.

"Why though?" Kiki asked.

"I'm not sure… but we need to break out of here while he's distracted by Naruto." Riku replied and she nodded.

"Bring it on!" Naruto growled, "I'll make sure you don't get Tazuna, believe it!"

" _Naruto's feisty but he can't handle this kid, we've got Tazuna alone here, I've got too…."_ Kakashi growled in his thoughts only for Zabuza to move in front of him again.

"Don't even think about it. You know the score Kakashi, if you go after Haku, I go after the Bridge Builder." He warned.

" _Damn it…They've split us up too thin…there's no way unless Kiki and Riku can get out of that dome but that's not ordinary ice."_

"Relax Kakashi, sit back and enjoy the show let's see how they do one on one." Zabuza sneered.

"That mask and your bogus story, just like Kakashi sensei said you were with Zabuza all along. If you think you can get away with a stunt like that you're wrong ya know!" Naruto growled.

"I'm sorry, but the art of the Shinobi is deception; keep the opponent guessing, and eventually out maneuver them." Haku replied.

" _Now's our chance!"_ Riku said as they ran for a gap between the mirrors, but a flurry of needles bit into the ground in front of them, one piercing the side of Riku's leg and another hitting Kiki in the upper arm

Naruto then saw Riku and Kiki trapped in the ice dome. "Whoa what's that thing?"

"Did you think I would forget about the two of you? Not a chance." Haku said coldly. "It'd be too much of a risk to leave you two alone while I'm fighting him so I need to finish you both first."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted but Haku ignored him going into the mirrors. Haku pulled himself back into the ice mirrors but kept looking at Naruto. "We will fight later…." He said disappearing into the ice

"Naruto don't worry about us! Protect Tazuna, he needs you!" Kiki said.

"We'll be fine, we'll figure a way out of here, focus on the mission!" Riku assured him as he pulled the needle from his leg

Naruto processed this for a moment and nodded smiling. "Count on it; _**Multi**_ _**Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**_ He said summoning several of them to surround Tazuna. "Let's see those two get past this!" he said, his clones grinning with him.

"Okay let's try to get out of here." Riku said as Kiki stood with him back to back.

" _ **Wood style great forest Jutsu!"**_ Kiki shouted transforming her arm into a bunch of powerful trees to pummel against the crystal ice cage. It was blocking Haku from getting then on that side.

" **Fire style, Fireball Jutsu!"** Riku shot a blazing fire jutsu in the opposite direction. Spikes of ice shot out of the mirrors, shattering her attack as the flames died out but nothing.

"It didn't work." Kiki gasped, "How tough are these mirrors anyways?"

Riku glanced around remembering where he was he managed to detect the real one and went for a Shuriken however… "Behind you." Haku said making them turn and gasp.

" _How'd he teleport himself so quickly?!"_ Riku growled in his thoughts. Then once again the two were surrounded by Haku who began to rip the two of them up.

"Riku, Kiki!" Naruto cried out as did Kakashi. " _They're getting all ripped up but I can't tell where the attacks are coming from!"_

"How is he doing that?" Kiki growled, "Is this some kind of Kekkei Genkai?"

"I'm not surprised you wouldn't know, after the wars, many people with Kekkei Genkai were hunted down and despised for their power because people feared that it would bring disaster to the lands. And some people would stop at absolutely nothing to see that Kekkei Genkai wiped out completely. Being a descendant of the first Hokage, you're lucky you don't have to have to endure persecution and I'd imagine that for most of them it's the same. But in my land that wasn't the case…" Haku explained.

"Zabuza is all I have and I will do anything to see his dream come true….But there used to be others. Long ago, my father and my mother, I was born in the land of water in a place where the snow falls deep in the winter Life was hard but we were content. My father was good to my mother and they were both kind to me yes, we were happy. But because of what I said earlier because of wars from before I was even born. Everything changed….My father had changed, he killed my mother and almost killed me"

The two young Shinobi gasped in horror at this. Naruto seemed to be listening as well as Tazuna even the two Jonin.

"After years of suffering and civil war the people of my land began to despise those that carried Kekkei Genkai in their; blood. The clans in my land were used as mercenaries in the old wars. But when war was over that's when they began to despise those like me." Haku explained. "They went into hiding denying their gifts…"

That seemed to strike a core with Riku as it was said his clan was forever haunted with the shadow of a certain someone…. "Not all the clans of the Hidden Leaf are lucky I see…" Haku said "People can be so cruel to never let go of grudges or despise things they don't understand."

"Not everyone is like that!" Kiki snapped.

"And yet those voices that will understand are the ones that either change or get drowned out…"

" _ **For years my mother was successful at hiding our blood line trait. She met and married a simple farmer. They were married and after that my mother thought she would leave a peaceful ordinary life…"**_

 _Haku was blissfully playing with the water and showed it off to his mother. "Mother look like what I can do! Isn't it beautiful?" he asked._

 _His mother gasped in a fit of anger. "No you mustn't, you must never! Do you hear me?! Never, you wicked wicked child!" she shrieked scaring Haku who struggled as she slapped him hard against the face to his horror and shock. She gasped. "I'm sorry my darling, I'm sorry…" she said hugging him tightly breaking down instantly._

 _ **But my father had seen…..he knew our secret….**_

 _Haku recounted the events of his mother being bludgeoned to death by his father who was wracked with horror other men were in the room he lifted the heavy club. He shrieked and then he walked out of the house it was full of ice crystals having killed everyone. He lay on the snow crying._

 _ **Without them I had no purpose in life, and when one has no purpose when no one looks at you, you're unnecessary. Zabuza gave me purpose again, he didn't shun me for my strangeness no. My powers were exactly what he wanted. And so….**_

"I will make his dream come true!" He growled reading many needles.

"We've gotta pin him down somehow…" Kiki said as the two were back to back.

"I think he's hiding clones in the other mirrors, I'm not sure… I can't clearly see…." Riku's eyes darted from one image of Haku to the next

"Wrong, this jutsu uses the mirror's reflection to transport me" Haku explained, "From my point of view, you're both moving in slow motion"

"The ice mirrors are the key to all this" Riku growled in frustration, "But we already tried breaking them and it didn't work"

"If you were on the outside we could attack from both sides to figure it out. But he obviously didn't want you doing that so he pulled you in." Riku said. "And Naruto's stuck watching Tazuna,"

"So what do we do?" Kiki asked

"I never wanted to be a shinobi… I don't want to kill you" Haku said from within the mirror, "But if you come at me, then I'll destroy my kind heart and become a true shinobi"

The two konoha rookies looked at each other, then back at their masked enemy.

"This bridge will be the battle field where our Dreams Collide, I must battle for my dream as you do yours…I am fighting for someone precious to me so that his dream may become reality, that is my Dream and I will take your lives to do it…" he said firmly readying a Soba needle.

* * *

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	10. Zero Visibility

_**Just so you know Legend of Serena Mask of Ghetsis is out NOW!**_

* * *

 _I own nothing except the stuff I made up Idea by Freelancer1989 thanks to him for editing_

* * *

 _ **Zero Visibility: Zabuza's Counter Attack!**_

Kiki and Riku screamed as a burst of light knocked them back. They had tried to rush out through the openings but Haku wasn't going to let them escape. "How is he doing that? There's no way to tell where the attacks are coming from!" Kiki growled.

Riku unleashed a flurry of Shuriken but Haku merely transported himself out of the mirror and knocked them down allowing them to fall harmlessly at their feet. "I told you there is nothing you can do." Haku said as he slipped back into the mirror.

"What is going on with that Mirror cage ya know?!" Naruto shouted.

"It's a blood line trait Kekkei Genkai." Kakashi said as he stood between Zabuza him and Tazuna. Zabuza laughed cruelly.

"That kid mentioned that, what is it exactly?" Naruto asked.

"It's like my Sharingan and Kiki's wood style." Kakashi replied.

"Wait that's it! Kakashi sensei, use your Sharingan to copy that Ice Mirror Jutsu and trap Zabuza inside! Then you can bust Kiki and Riku out!" Naruto stated pointing to the cage where Haku was fighting his teammates.

"I can't, Kekkei Genkai, are very special Jutsu, you can't learn them you have to inherit them. Even the Sharingan can't copy something like that." Kakashi said gravely. "There's no way to destroy it and no way to stop him."

Naruto gasped in shock looking at the cage, and then back at his Sensei as Zabuza sneered, a sadistic smile appearing under the wrappings of his face. "We can't get through….so what he's not gonna stop us!" Naruto stated his words reaching Haku and his teammates in the ice cage. "We all have dreams we want to make come true! We're not gonna die here! Is that right? Riku, Kiki, show him what you're made of! Prove Zabuza wrong, believe it!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto don't!" Kakashi said.

"But-"

"Even if they're able to overcome that Jutsu, they still can't defeat that Ninja. He's on a whole other level."

"It can't be!" Naruto cried as Zabuza laughed again.

"They have the desire to win but they don't have the strength." Kakashi said gravely. "That boy is a whole other breed. He lives for pain, he thrives on it."

"Exactly," Zabuza began. "Your Village has become complacent. Your trainees never learn the most important lesson of all. To kill the feelings in their own hearts, to crush an opponent mercilessly!" he said an aura of murder surging around him "to destroy with no emotion or regret."

"But that's….Sensei we've gotta do something!" Naruto cried out.

Kakashi stood there glaring running options in his head. " _I could make break to save Kiki and Riku. But he'd slay the Bridge builder. I could use Shadow Clones but he'd just match them with Water Clones, I'd be wasting Chakra."_ Kakashi's hand went to the right side of his face. " _So I have no choice it's me or Zabuza here and now."_ He thought gripping his headband. " _I'll have to do this the hard way."_

" _The Sharingan!"_ Naruto thought smiling but Zabuza laughed.

"You're no fun Kakashi, using the same old trick." He sneered. Kakashi didn't respond. Instead Zabuza pulled out his own style of Kunai with a curved blade and charged aiming for his right eye however sensing this Kakashi quickly threw up his left hand. He felt it pierce his skin and draw blood.

"Kakashi, sensei!" Naruto cried as blood dripped down the palm of his hand and glove to the ground.

"If it's such an old trick, why did you stop me?" Kakashi taunted.

Zabuza laughed. "Let your opponent see your Jutsu too many times and they'll find a way to use it against you." he said a smile seen under the wrappings on his face.

"Then count yourself lucky, you're the only man alive who's seen my Sharingan twice." Kakashi said coldly. "Show's over, there won't be a third time!"

Zabuza chuckled, "Even if you did defeat me you'd have no chance against Haku." Naruto gasped and looked at the cage.

" _Is it possible is that guy really stronger than Kakashi sensei?"_ Naruto thought to himself.

"When I found him he was just a street kid. But I trained him in the most advanced Ninja Techniques." Zabuza said as he reminisced about the time he spent training Haku; _Striking Targets in kill points with Soba Needles. Filling a target with a barrage of them as Zabuza watched from a tree. Increasing his speed forest combat,_ _ **"I taught him everything I know. Plus he had special abilities he refined on his own."**_ _Zabuza said_ _remembering how Haku perfected his Ice style. Then he remembered when Haku put on the mask for the first time, then faced off against some elite guard in the Mist Village. "_ _ **The Boy developed quickly soon he could defeat the most powerful enemy outnumbered in the dark. It didn't matter he could strike with perfect accuracy."**_ _The remembering how he killed them all with one strike._ _ **"He cared nothing for his own life or the lives of others. He became a unique fighting machine. A Shinobi in the end his powers surpassed even mine. His Blood line trait Ice style cannot be defeated by anyone."  
**_ "I've created a tool that can destroy anything that stands in my way. Unlike the useless punks that follow you around!" Zabuza spat pulling out his Kunai.

 **X X X**

Kiki stood up. "I may be stuck here but I can still attack from the inside, we're still close enough to the land for me to pull this off!" she said weaving hand signs; " _ **Wood Style Branch Arrow Jutsu!"**_

Haku turned to the outside of the cage to see a bunch of branches come at him like lightning he flew out and cut them all down as Riku and Kiki rushed at the Mirrors to attack them from the inside. But even with Kiki turning her limbs to wood and Riku using a Kunai, it was too no avail. When Haku returned, they were knocked back. " _ **Wood Style Wood Clone Jutsu!"**_ Wood clones appeared from around Kiki and charged at the mirrors Haku leapt and cut them all down. But Riku noticed something strange about the water what was a slightly large bit before became smaller.

"Huh?" he asked himself as Kiki hit the ground. Then He was hit with a barrage of Soba needles. "Kiki you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she said getting up. "I don't care what Zabuza says, he's not gonna beat us!"

" _It was barely there but I saw it, I could see the trails and follow his moves…"_ Riku thought to himself staring at that one point. Kiki noticed this and tried another Wood Clone. Riku kicked up the water, Haku was quick to take them out and attack the two again. " _I can see his speed but I can't match it. The water just gets repelled so what if I tried something else…yeah….that could work!"_

 **X X X**

Zabuza chuckled again at Kakashi's frustration. "You think those Genin Punks together can beat Haku? He's the Ultimate, a battle tool of destruction!" He said smiling sadistically under the wrappings on his face.

"Are you done bragging? You're starting to put me to sleep." Kakashi growled as he pulled up his headband. "Let's finish this **now**!"

"There's one more thing you should know a little more bragging as you say." Zabuza replied. Kakashi let out a sound of curiosity.

"Did you really think our last battle was just, win or lose?" Zabuza asked. "That I took your attacks like some Rank Genin?" Zabuza asked thinking back to their last fight. During which he had trapped him in a Large Vortex Jutsu then impaled his limbs with several Kunai. "Haku was there watching, every move you made. Studying your Sharingan, Haku can see a Jutsu once and immediately devise a deadly counter attack. It's one of his gifts."

"WHAT?!" Naruto asked blinking in disbelief.

"I've been waiting to see the Look on your face when you realize your Sharingan has become worthless." Zabuza sneered, making Tazuna gasp. "You once said the same Jutsu won't work on me twice. Well now I'm telling you that."

"Huh?" Kakashi gasped surprised.

" _ **Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"**_ Zabuza called as he disappeared into the mist that was now getting thicker and thicker.

"What's going on? The Fog is so thick I can't see a thing…." Tazuna muttered looking around, Naruto gulped as he found himself alone. He was doing a much better job keeping himself calm this time.

"Kakashi sensei where are you!?" he called out.

"Naruto, stay with Tazuna!" Kakashi called.

"Right!" Naruto said rushing off. He had his job to do no matter what it was all on Riku, Kiki and Kakashi sensei now. Tazuna turned to see a small figure running towards him. He sighed in relief when it came into view.

"Oh Naruto it's you!"

" _ **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu**_!" Naruto called summoning about five more Naruto to surround him.

"Stay behind us Tazuna we'll keep you safe just stay close believe it!" Naruto said as they surrounded him with a Monji formation."

"Alright I'll stay right behind you." Tazuna replied.

 **X X X**

"I know you need me Zabuza I'll finish them quickly." Haku muttered to himself.

" _I think Riku might have an Idea, he noticed something when I used both the wood and Shadow Clones alright let's try it again,_ _ **Wood Clone Jutsu!"**_ She shouted, summoning a few more to rush out at the mirrors. Riku watched, waiting for his chance.

"They just won't quit!" Haku growled as he rushed to cut them down. However Riku wove, hand signs and Haku gasped as a fire ball rushed towards him. He quickly ducked out in one of the mirrors then rushed to cut them down. " _It shouldn't be taking this long to defeat them!"_ Haku growled in his thoughts. One Wood Clone Got Dangerously close to a mirror. He dove in then out of the mirrors again to attack it. Riku aimed right where the final wood clone was and launched another fire ball Jutsu this time scathing Haku as he cut that last clone down and knocked Kiki back into Riku.

"Is that idea working yet?" Kiki groaned as she got up.

"Yeah, it hit him it charred a bit of his Kimono. Meaning I'm starting to get the timing." He said starring right at the burn mark on the brown under robe of Haku's Kimono.

" _He read my movements… but that's not possible!"_ Haku growled in his thoughts.

"Kiki, can you do that again?" Riku asked.

"Of Course!" Kiki said determinedly.

" _She doesn't want to show it. But she's exhausted… I need to finish this now!"_ Riku thought to himself.

 **X X X**

Kakashi found himself surrounded by thick impenetrable fog. " _It's the Hidden Mist Jutsu but this mist is too thick even for Zabuza…how can he fight in it."_ He suddenly heard the sound of whirring blades and quickly deflected them with his Kunai. "Impressive just what I'd expect from Kakashi, the Sharingan warrior." Kakashi gasped and turned sensing Zabuza from behind and found that his eyes were closed. "But the next time you see me will be the last time you see anything." Zabuza warned. "Without your Sharingan you're nothing…." He said disappearing into the mist. "You wanted to make me believe that you could see through anything even through time."

" _How?!" Zabuza groaned in pain. "Can you see into the future?"_

 _There was a pregnant silence before Kakashi responded by pulling out a Kunai. "Yes, I can….this is your last battle ever…"_

"But your prediction was wrong I'm still alive. So you're a fraud Kakashi. You can't read the future and you can't read me. The Sharingan is just a cheap trick to make you seem more powerful than you really are! I know now that your Sharingan has two seperate elements. The Mirror Eye which sees every detail. And the Hypnotic eye which mesmerizes your opponent. Employing these abilities you can execute multiple Jutsu in quick succession making it seem like you could see into the future. First with the Mirror eye you copy my movements instantly. This replication of movement makes me doubt my own thoughts. Once I was shaken you infiltrated my mind, waiting for the slightest flutter to anticipate my actions seeking out any hints to my next move. "

" _Heh all you're doing is copying me like a Monkey!" Zabuza said then he and Kakashi began speaking in unison. "You can't beat me with cheap tricks I'll crush you!" They said together angering Zabuza further. "When I'm finished with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!"_

"You timed it precisely waiting for the right moment, waiting for the right moment." He said remembering the Zabuza clone he saw behind Kakashi back at the lake. "The instant my mind becomes unfocused you create a new illusion. With your Hypnotic eye you induce me to make hang signs. While you were making the same signs so you seem to be copying me when actually you're controlling my movements!" he said remembering how Kakashi got the giant water Vortex. "Now that I know this a very simple plan can defeat you. First neutralize your Mirror eye with zero visibility mist." Zabuza explained as he attacked Kakashi knocking him back. Forcing Kakashi to pull out a Kunai and use it to keep his balance in the ground as he crouched down upon landing. Kicking up dust and cement around him.

" _The Mist is slowing my reaction time."_ Kakashi growled in his thoughts. Zabuza chuckled.

"Next neutralize your Hypnotic eye by keeping my own eyes closed. You can't bore into my mind if you can't look into my eyes." Zabuza explained.

"Brilliant except with your eyes closed you can't see me either." Kakashi drawled.

"Have you forgotten who I am Kakashi? I'm the Demon of the Hidden Mist. The Master of the Silent Killing Technique I can take you out with sound alone!" Zabuza declared making Kakashi's eyes widen.

 **X X X**

" _The Human eye cannot track my movements!"_ Haku said in his thoughts. The mirrors lit up.

"Kiki, go attack from the outside!" Riku called she nodded and rushed towards the openings in the mirrors.

"You cannot escape!" Haku growled. Knocking her back with the light, Kiki jumped to her feet and rushed back towards the opening .The real Haku rushed out.

" _There!_ _ **Fire Style Fire Ball Jutsu!"**_ Riku unleashed the attack right at Haku who saw it coming but he not only dodged it and threw a Senbon at Riku but blocked Kiki and back handed her towards the center of the cage. Riku yelped in pain, clutching his shoulder it pierced it. He growled pulling it out as Haku retreated to the mirror.

"I couldn't get past him…" Kiki muttered.

"You still did well. Kiki let's do this one more time!" Riku said to her. "There's gotta be a limit to his Chakra too." He whispered to her. "I think he's starting to slow down"

"Okay," Kiki replied running in one direction.

"No more games! I need to finish this now!" Haku growled getting angry and throwing a Senbon aimed at her leg. "This time you'll stay down!" she snarled the Senbon pierced her leg making her fall to her knees, then she was instantly pierced with several more.

"Kiki!" Riku cried in shock before getting pierced by several in his upper body and legs himself. They both hit the ground exhausted.

"Damn it…." Riku hissed as he pulled a senbon out from his hand.

 **X X X**

" _An Enemy you can't see or hear….It's been a long time since I faced anyone this tough. And Riku and Kiki I don't know if they can hold out."_ Kakashi growled to himself feeling frustrated. But he steadied his emotions; " _Stay calm….think where, will he strike_?" It then hit him with a rush of horror, "the Bridge builder!"

It had been eerily quiet for Naruto and Tazuna all Six Nartuo kept as much of an eye out as they could. Suddenly Zabuza materialized behind them. The three clones in the back rushed at him but Zabuza merely batted them away with sword alerting the real Naruto and the other two clones. Zabuza rushed at them but Kakashi instantly materialized between them. "Too Late!" he growled savagely as he pulled out his sword and swung Blood flying into the air as Naruto screamed out.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

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	11. The Burning Rage! Blaze forth Sharingan!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Characters by Freelancer1989 Special thanks to him for Editing_

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 _ **The Burning Rage! Blaze forth Sharingan!**_

Naruto's scream rang with a disturbing clarity and volume. It sent a violent chill down the spines of the other two Genin as they pulled themselves to their feet. Kiki took slightly longer to get to her feet than Riku, but she was determined to fight.

"That was Naruto…what's happening out there, where's Kakashi Sensei?!" Kiki asked in alarm.

"I don't know…but we need to break out of here!" Riku growled glaring at Haku, teeth gritted.

"I have an idea…" Kiki said as she charged up Chakra.

"You're exhausting my patience." Haku growled as she rushed forward using Chakra to accelerate Haku appeared in front of her but she jumped doing a flip into the air and making a break for the other side. Riku watched as Haku ran alongside her. He suddenly saw Haku prepare a barrage of needles.

"Kiki behind you!" he shouted rushing over and jumping between them Kiki skid to a stop and rushed to Riku who groaned as he fell to one knee.

"Your chances of escaping my House of Mirrors are zero," Haku said.

"Riku!" Kiki cried out.

"I'm fine, listen you can't use any more chakra, that's only going to help him now." Riku told her.

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" Kiki stated before falling to the ground.

"Kiki!" Riku cried rushing over to her, she was still breathing but they were heavy breathes the kind taken when one was exhausted. _"We can't go on like this! He's blocking every move we make! I've got to find a way to out maneuver him!"_ He growled in his thoughts knowing he was pretty much on his own now. " _My eyes have adjusted to his movements….maybe….just maybe…"_ He thought to himself focusing.

"Looking for a counter-attack?" Haku taunted as he appeared in front of Riku. "I'll save you the trouble!" He said throwing a few needles. Thinking quickly Riku picked up a fallen needle from the ground then used it to bat off the incoming barrage. He could feel himself focused only on Haku watching him like a Hawk, lining his mind with anything he read.

"What?!" Haku gasped as Riku fell to one knee.

"Kiki come on, you've gotta get up!" Riku shouted as Kiki pushed herself to her knees.

" _I'm aiming at his vital spots now…but I can't get a direct hit."_ Haku said in his thoughts.

"I have an idea Riku…" Kiki said getting to her feet. Before she could say anything, more of Haku's images appeared in the mirror in front of them and launched needles. Riku quickly batted them away.

" _It's not just luck; he's fighting to protect his friend. That's why he's so determined but he can't see all the needles!"_ Haku thought as Riku signaled Kiki to move away and jumped away, both getting out of the way in time. Kiki yelped as a needle jammed into her leg she didn't move fast enough. _"Somehow he's tracking my movements….whatever he's doing I've got to stop him now!"_

"I'm okay….I think I can fight a little again…" Kiki said as Haku disappeared.

"He's gone!" Riku shouted.

"How could he just disappear!?" Kiki asked as she and Riku were back to back.

"We'll just have to cover from all sides…. _ **Wood style-"**_ She instantly felt the wind fly out of her as she fell to her knees. "Damn it no!"

"You can't go on….you've reached your limit." Haku said to her. Riku growled glaring at him into the top mirror as he let out a sinister chuckle. Haku threw a needle in response Riku knocked it back with the kunai he was holding.

"Impressive, you have excellent moves." Haku said as he disappeared again Riku looking around for where he would strike next. "Your attacks are very skillful." He said as he appeared to the right behind him. Riku jumped away and threw a needle where he was but it did nothing. "But you have reached your limit as well…." Haku warned as an image appeared in each mirror surrounding him. "Motor Skills reflexes, judgement, you're abilities are weakening slowly but surely. Now you're finished!"

" _Here he comes…."_ Riku growled in his thoughts as Haku prepared to attack. " _Stay calm, focus...concentrate, see everything!"_ Riku could see the mirrors coming towards him as Haku finished preparing his attack. Then he saw it. Exactly what Haku would do, the tension in his muscles, the trajectory of his arms, Riku lowered himself grabbing Kiki and using Chakra to jump away, landing close to the other side of the mirrors.

" _He saw my every move, there's no way he could do that!"_ Haku gasped in his thoughts. Meanwhile, Riku saw the world seemed to slowdown for a moment, he shook it off as the world returned to normal and readjusted to how he saw it fighting Haku.

" _What the… never mind, I've gotta take him down!"_ Riku growled in his thoughts as he gently placed Kiki down panting excessively Haku wasn't wrong about him.

"Nice move…" Kiki sighed as she sat up.

"How are you doing?" Riku asked.

"I've been better… if I could recharge I might be able to help you get him." Kiki replied.

" _This should not be possible…unless….could he be? He must be, that's the only explanation…he's awakening his own Sharingan…."_ Haku said in his thoughts, worrying a little. And yet he found himself impressed. " _He's subconsciously tapping into its power, to do that in the midst of a lethal battle is an impressive feat."_ Haku readied his needles. " _If he awakens it completely, he could defeat me. My Jutsu uses a tremendous amount of Chakra. But his moves take a tremendous amount of energy as well. The longer we fight, the more he'll be able to perceive my moves….until…."_ Haku thought to himself, imagining Riku awakening his Sharingan allowing him to deal a lethal blow. " _I need to finish him now…a frontal attack won't work so I'll have to attack his partner."_

Haku rushed out of the mirror and rushed at Kiki. Riku gasped and rushed over as quickly as he could and found needles going into his stomach then getting back handed and sent into one of the mirror.

"Riku!" Kiki shouted as Haku flew up a little and threw a large barrage of needles, using what little chakra she had left to propel herself forward just as he did… There was a pregnant silence and then blood dripped to the ground.

 **X X X**

Kakashi hissed in pain clutching his chest which was now dripping with blood, as Tazuna stared in horror. "Kakashi sensei!" Naruto half screamed.

"You were late Kakashi. You let your concern for those, little Punk's safety cloud your judgement. Adding to the fog that already hinders your Sharingan! Your eyes are sharp Kakashi but not sharp enough to read my moves….not anymore…" he said as he laughed. "Come on Kakashi I want this to be fun! I want to enjoy this as I exact my revenge; as for those brats. Don't worry they're at Haku's mercy oh, they're breathing their last breaths right now." Zabuza moved his sword, a little Kakashi's blood covering the tip. It was moved to prepare for battle once again. "Relax you'll have plenty of time to weep out an apology for failing those brats when you see them in the next life." Zabuza cackled evilly as he disappeared into the mist waiting for Kakashi.

Naruto looked over at the mirror house. "Would they really die? NO! No, no, no, no he's wrong! Riku and Kiki are the strongest in our class believe it! That guy in the mask is toast! I'm just mad that I don't get to hit him! "He turned to the mirror cage. "Hey hit him once for me Kiki Riku! Kick his ass off the bridge ya know!" he shouted cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound of his voice. "They won't lose!"

"Exactly!" Kakashi said alerting him and making him turn back to the silver haired man. "I….I believe in their abilities. I have faith in them, Kiki who has the blood of the first Hokage in her veins and Riku who is part of the clan that rivals the Senju as one of the two most powerful clans in the village!"

"You mean!?" Zabuza gasped.

"His full name is Riku Uchiha and as you might have guessed. Kiki's full name is Kiki Senju! The Kekkei Genkai's of Wood style and the Sharingan are their birthrights!"

"That explains it. I heard the Uchiha clan had split in two each side taking a young prodigy! And the Girl her wood style is formidable. No wonder they advance so quickly; but, so does Haku, no one can match him!" Zabuza growled. "No one has ever stopped his secret Jutsu even the most skilled Jounin fall before him! Just as you'll fall before me RIGHT NOW!" Zabuza roared.

"Naruto, stay with Tazuna." Kakashi called.

"What, no way! You need help!" Naruto protested.

"You believe in Riku and Kiki right?" Kakashi asked.

"Uh yeah?" Naruto asked.

"Well you need to believe in me as well. I'll finish this once and for all!" Kakashi assured Naruto thought for a moment and nodded.

"Okay go get him!" Naruto stated as he stayed by Tazuna and Kakashi rushed off.

" _He's right it's time to end this but he is the one who will fall!"_ Kakashi growled as he rushed towards Zabuza. Mist passing by him quickly

 **X X X**

Riku groaned pulling the needles out of his stomach but noticed the attack had stopped. He looked up and saw Haku on the ground and in front of him Kiki. He smiled, "Nice shot!" he stated but then suddenly saw blood had dripped from where she was standing and her upper body was full of needles. He stared in horror as she looked back blood dripping from her mouth.

"You okay…?" she asked.

"Kiki…why did you…save me?" Riku muttered in shock.

"Because…you're my best friend…" she muttered before falling back. Riku quickly caught her gently kneeling down and supporting her upper half, she smiled. "Thanks…" she sighed, thinking about their recent memories.

" _My dream is to show that the Uchiha clan is just as valuable to the Leaf as any other clan even the Hyuga. I want to show we're nothing like the ones who left."_

" _Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."_

" _My Dream is to be the greatest Hokage!"_

" _Without them I had no purpose in life, when one has no purpose you're unnecessary."_

" _We've gotta pin him down somehow!"_

" _Kiki you've gotta get up!"_

" _This Bridge will be the battle where our Dreams collide."_

"I guess…I wasn't good enough…you know I didn't have any friends…before I met you either…but I'm happy you were my friend." Kiki said as Riku stared at her in horror and sadness.

"Kiki….you…can't…" Riku muttered, nearly choking on his words. The image of her broken body reflected in his dark eyes as tears were starting to well up.

"Riku…take him down…get stronger…for both of us…make your dream come true…" she said as she closed her eyes and her arm slipped to her side.

"Kiki…." Riku said tears falling freely now as he let out a deafening shriek of anguish and pain. As Haku got up and looked at them as Riku hugged her crying.

"She found the strength she didn't realize she had." Haku muttered, amazed how Kiki got between them, took his attack, and then tagged him with a counter attack of her own. "Why? Because of a certain person who was precious to her. To save that person she rushed in knowing what it would cost her. She was a true Ninja worthy of honor." Haku turned away from him. "Is this the first time you've ever seen a friend die in battle? This is part of what it means to be a Ninja." He said slipping away back into the mirror.

Riku gritted his teeth gently laying Kiki down. He silently stood up his entire body trembling not with grief or fear, but a white hot rage that was building up in all parts of his body…especially his eyes.

"You…" He growled before snapping his head around to look at Haku, a burning crimson light that shone on him from one eye and glistening from the other side of his profile shadowing part of his face. "I'll kill you!" he snarled, both of his sharingan blazing with two tomoe in each eye.

Riku rushed forward with an intense speed as Haku sent a barrage of needles at him. Riku jumped away and lunged at Haku who quickly ducked into the mirror. Images of them flashed around, Riku could see everything he dodged each of them and rushed at the mirror Haku disappeared. "His eyes are tracking my every move!" Haku muttered fearfully.

"COME OUT!" Riku demanded.

" _He's able to see me clearly now…I have to end this!"_ Haku stated to himself. He appeared in another mirror as well as a few more. Riku ran as Haku attacked, ignoring the fakes and channeling Chakra into his arm, punched Haku's mask as hard as he could. His arm quivered as Haku crashed into a mirror. Coughing as the air was knocked out of his lungs, Haku stared up at a snarling Riku, his crimson eyes completely blood lusted.

Haku slipped into the mirror and flew to another, throwing a series of Soba needles, but Riku jumped and spun away landing down. He then rushed at Haku, who again dove for the nearest mirror, but Riku could see where he was going and grabbed him.

"You're mine!" he snarled attacking Haku while he was trapped outside his mirrors. Haku tried to get away but Riku refused to release his grip. Haku's own eyes widened considerably under his mask fear evident yet hidden behind it as the sheer loathing in Riku's Sharingan sent a chill down Haku's spine.

" _Those eyes…..the way they look at me…the way they glow…it's like a demon…"_

Riku smashed his fists again and again, and with scream, he punched him so hard Haku went spinning and slammed against the mirrors, finally they shattered. The force was enough to break his mask revealing Haku's face. Riku didn't care who he was, he wanted revenge.

" _That girl meant so much to him…I can sense his desire to avenge her._ _Zabuza, I'm no match for this boy….Master…forgive me."_

 _The man was staring right at him. For the first time someone was staring at him. He felt like he was part of the world again for the first time in months._

" _Huh Little Kid like you, with no one to look after you you'll die a beggar's death." Zabuza said to him._

 _Haku smiled "hey you know what? Your eyes remind me of mine." Zabuza stared for a minute but he words entered his mind. He seemed to be thinking. They looked into each other's eyes noting their similarities._

" _Well little one? Will you stay here and die? Or come with me and be of some use? Will you serve me and submit to my will and all things?" Zabuza asked. After a few moments Haku nodded. "Then your special abilities belong to me from this day forward." Haku stood up. Zabuza put a hand on his head then pulled him close. "Let us go then…" They walked off towards the city._

 _Then later…"My Time here is done Haku, tonight I cast aside the Land of Water. One day I will return and take this land and hold it in my hands. But many things must be done before that day. And you will help me to do them. But I warn you. Friendship comfort encouragement. I do not need these things nor should you expect them from me."_

" _I understand. I am yours Zabuza, I am only an instrument of your will think of me as a weapon to be kept at your side and used as you see fit." Haku said._

" _Well said child." Zabuza replied with a smirk._

Straddling his chest, Riku screamed as he kept punching Haku, blood coming from his mouth and nose. Riku eventually stopped catching his breath; nearly choking as sobbing broke through all that anger. He looked around and found his kunai as a battered and bloodied Haku pulled himself to his feet, blood dripped from a broken nose and a split on his lip. Tears streamed down his face as Riku turned, and with an almost strangled scream, he went in for the kill.

 **X X X**

"That scream that was Riku…I can't stop now I have to finish this and get to those mirrors." Kakashi said pulling out a scroll and taking the blood from where he was slashed and smearing it up the length of the scroll. "Zabuza, I don't mean to spoil your fun I know you like to stretch these things out. But how about we put an end to this now?" He said spinning the scroll around him then letting it rewind itself and falling into Kakashi's hands as he began to charge Chakra. "Come on what do you say? We're both busy people."

"Hmm…" Zabuza responded from his hiding place in the mist. "Tempting I'm curious to see how you're going to back up such brave words. SHOW ME KAKASHI!"

Kakashi wove a few more hand signs. " _ **Summoning Jutsu! Earth style Fanged pursuit!"**_ He slammed the scroll into the ground, symbols pouring from the side into the stone of the bridge itself.

"I don't know why you bother. Your jutsu is useless if you can't find me but I can find you…" Zabuza sneered. "Blindly falling into my trap, you disappoint me Kakashi. I think your right it is time to put an end to this." He stated but heard rumbling he opened his eyes to see what was happening. The earth was slightly shaking as well. A dog head burst from the ground Zabuza jumped away but more came he was surrounded by Ninja hounds all barking, snarling, biting, and attacking him.

Tazuna shivered as he and Naruto heard the sound. "What's that noise?!"

Naruto muttered eyes wide. "Kakashi, sensei, say something!" No response, "nothing, could he be…no! He's gonna win we're gonna get through this, me, Riku, and Kakashi sensei believe it, believe it!"

Kakashi smirked, "I knew if I couldn't see you, I'd have to smell you out. That was a summoning Jutsu." Kakashi said looking at Zabuza who was completely covered by Dogs, all digging their fangs into him blood leaking out all over his body. "When you attacked me, I let you get past my guard. I wanted you to cut me. It's the smell of my blood on your blade that led my cute nin dogs to you. Looks like you're the one caught in my jutsu Zabuza." The fog was thinning out "Ahh the fog is clearing, know what I see? Your death!"

"I'm so sick of your bull shit Kakashi," Zabuza spat, "Going to talk me to death, or are you gonna do it already?"

"One word from me and my hounds will tear you to shreds. Poor Zabuza; see where your ambitions got you? You were always pushing things too far." The image of a few silhouettes cutting down a few men but he was caught then attacked. "There was the failed Mizukage assassination and your attempted coup de tat. You were forced to flee with the few follows you had. Your country's tracking Ninja hot on your tail. You became a rogue Ninja whose name became well known even in the Hidden Leaf Village. Now you're crazy enough to try it again and for that you need money and you're willing to stoop so low as to be the hired thug of a swine like Gato! Alright Zabuza it's time to end this! But not with Sharingan or imitations of other Ninja's Jutsu, instead I'll use my own jutsu!" Kakashi began weaving hand signs in a combination Zabuza had never seen before that ended with Kakashi holding to the wrist of his left hand that was cupped open electricity charged up and formed in his hands, _**"RAIKIRI!"**_

" _His chakra's so strong it's visible and he holds it in his hand!"_ Zabuza screamed frantically in his thoughts. As Kakashi glared right at him, "I won't allow you to kill Tazuna! He's a brave man with a noble dream. That bridge is the hope of this land and all, of its people! You're like a disease, you attack one and infect all and you don't care. That is _**not**_ the way of the Shinobi!"

"You're right I don't care!" Zabuza snarled grinning under the wrappings on his face, "these worthless little people and their dreams what do they matter to me! I have a Dream of my own!"

"But to have a dream you need to have a future. But you don't your future is all used up Zabuza!" Kakashi charged, his right hand blazing with lightning chakra.

* * *

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	12. A Demon's tears

_**The Final Chapter of the Land of Waves Arc, after that, things will start to change more starting with a brand new arc**_

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 _I own nothing except the stuff I made up! Some Characters by FreeLancer1989 special thanks to him for editing_

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 _ **A Demon's Tears**_

Inari ran as fast as he could his feet pounding on the ground. "Naruto and the others are fighting risking their lives while the rest of us do nothing we've gotta fight too!" he shouted running down the dock.

"Uncle Gichi! Uncle Gichi, help!" Inari shouted pounding on the door of Tazuna's former friend. "Hurry come to the Bridge with me we don't have to hide any longer!" he said invigorated with something that no one in the Land of Waves had felt in a long time…courage. "If we all fight together we can finally take Gato down I know we can!" He looked at the knob and reached for it but it locked.

"No Inari, I've given up fighting." Gichi said from behind the door. "Fighting is for heroes…like your father…." he muttered, "Isn't one dead hero enough?" Gichi asked the words stinging Inari a little. "What will more fighting bring us more fallen heroes and more regrets? No Inari my heart is already full of enough regrets….for a life time." Inari looked around at the down trodden worn land houses and boats falling into disrepair but all he did was clench his fist.

"Well I don't want to live a life of regrets either! And that's why we've gotta fight!" Inari said remembering his father's words. "I know you care about everyone in the village, Mom Grandpa and everyone that's why we have to fight!" he looked at the knob…nothing. "All my life I've been a coward. But now I know that hiding and crying from the things we're afraid of doesn't make them go away!" he said turning away after a few seconds and leaving. Gichi growled in regret there was one more but what could he do. He suddenly heard Inari's voice ring out again.

"Hurry come to the bridge!" he shouted Gichi's eyes widening in shock as his wife who was quietly listening to the events spoke at last. "Our little Inari has become a man. And you dear are you sure you want to send him off all on his own?" Gichi sighed eyes watering.

Inari kept yelling and screaming begging for people to come to the bridge and fight eventually he was exhausted and a little bit dejected. "What do I do now? No one will even open their doors to listen…." He remembered what Naruto told him in that moment.

" _because you are brave…."_

" _Well then if no one else will help…."_ Inari thought to himself running for home.

 **X X X**

" **RAIKIRI!"** Kakashi shouted charging the electrified Chakra in his hands glaring at Zabuza. "I will not allow you to kill Tazuna! He's a brave man with a noble dream! This Bridge he's building is the hope of this people! You're like a disease you attack one and infect all and you don't care. That is not the way of the Shinobi!" Kakashi growled.

"You're right I don't care about these useless little people and their petty little dreams what do they matter to me! I have a dream of my own!"

"But to have a Dream you need to have a future. And you don't your future is all used up Zabuza!" Kakashi growled.

Naruto and his clones looked up in surprise. "Hey I'm starting to see again!" one of them said.

"It looks like this blasted fog is finally lifting." Tazuna added.

"Look over there, they're facing off!" Another Naruto said pointing in front of them. There were two figures in the mist facing each other down. One looked bigger than the other, "Which one's Kakashi sensei?"

"Hey one of them is moving!" The real Naruto stated as a figure rushed through the Fog at the other.

Kakashi glared at Zabuza who couldn't do anything his eyes wide.

 **X X X**

Tears streamed down his face as Riku turned, and with an almost strangled scream, he went in for the kill… yet Haku didn't attempt to fight back. They both could hear the heartbeats of each other as the inevitable came. It only made Riku run faster and Haku more accepting.

" _Yes, hold fast to your dreams…strike true…"_ Haku said closing his eyes as Riku ran closer and closer. However something caught his senses as Riku was about to strike he saw Haku ready to grab his arm and startling Riku.

"You…" Riku stared, stunned

"Sorry, change of plans. I'm not ready to die just yet." He said doing his single handed hand signs and disappearing.

"Where did -?!" Riku looked around, when he suddenly heard a loud electric crackling noise and turned to it… just in time to see Kakashi with a hand like a blade of electricity stab towards Zabuza. Everyone stared in shock as blood splattered everywhere on an ice mirror, on the ground, and on Kakashi and Zabuza... both of whom stared in utter disbelief as Kakashi's hand tore through Haku's chest and punched out the boy's back. Haku coughed up even more blood, gasping out Zabuza's name as he grabbed Kakashi's arm

 **X X X**

"Don't be ridiculous you are not going to the Bridge all by yourself!" Tsunami scolded. But Inari merely pulled on his sandals.

"I have to go by myself because none of the others will go with me." Inari replied simply. He had tied a pot to his head and had pulled a quiver on his back with a cross bow at his side. Tsunami's look softened. "I have no choice."

"You shouldn't go at all." She said. "Stop this, your just a kid what can you do?!" she said making Inari stop at the door.

"You're right I am just a kid. But, I'm a kid who knows how to stand and fight. I'm my father's kid!" he said turning to her and grinning. She suddenly gasped seeing her husband for a second before he turned back to the door.

" _Kaiza…"_ He opened the door. "No Inari wait!" she cried he opened the door to find shadows looming over him with weapons.

 **X X X**

"Isn't that the boy in the mask?" Tazuna asked in shock Naruto stared in horror.

"So my future is all used up?" Zabuza said laughing, "wrong again Kakashi!"

"The boy threw himself in front of my attack! He saved your worthless life!" Kakashi growled.

"Heh….well done Haku…" Zabuza sneered under the wrappings on his face. Kakashi growled as Zabuza let out a roar and went for his sword.

" _He'll hack through the boy to get to me!?"_ Kakashi gasped in his thoughts.

" _I knew I had found a treasure when I found you boy! You've not only given me my own life but Kakashi's as well!"_ He snarled viciously with glee in his thoughts as Kakashi tried to pull away from Haku.

Naruto and Riku gasped as the blade swung, but Kakashi held on to Haku and jumped away. Naruto gasped as Kakashi landed and pulled his arm free from the boy in the mask, only for the blond shinobi to recognize him as the one from the forest in the kimono.

"It… was him…?" Naruto stared dumbfounded, "It was him the whole time?!"

Riku watched Kakashi fight Zabuza but almost immediately looked away, he felt tired… drained… all the anger and fury that had fueled him mere moments ago was gone, replaced with sadness and guilt. He walked over to Kiki falling to his knees and holding her close and crying.

Zabuza laughed at this, "Not bad with a corpse in your arms." He sneered.

"Why you…!" Naruto snarled.

"NO! Naruto stay out of this, you too Riku! This is my battle!" Kakashi yelled sensing the other boy's presence. He looked at the lifeless boy and closed his eyes, then stood to fight.

"Wait Kiki!" Naruto gasped. He instantly grabbed Tazuna's arm trying to pull him along. "Come on come on, we've gotta find Kiki ya know!"

"Alright, alright don't be so pushy! I'll take you to them!" Tazuna replied as they raced towards Riku's position.

"Naruto…." Kakashi muttered sadly.

"Kakashi!" Zabuza shouted rushing at him. "I'd stay focused if I were you!" he went to swing but Kakashi swung landing a kick in the face, knocking him back with a groan of pain.

The two raced towards Riku and gasped at the sight. Riku was holding Kiki close tears flowing freely down his face, sobbing loudly.

"No…." Naruto muttered in disbelief, "It can't be….Kiki" he felt tears come to his eyes as well, but he didn't want to cry he shut his eyes and hung his head. Tazuna lowered his head and looked away as Naruto had his eyes on his team mates, unable to take his eyes off them.

"Go on Naruto, you don't have to be brave on my account go ahead and let your feelings out it's alright." Tazuna said softly.

Naruto opened his eyes letting them fill with tears, his heart breaking for his teammates. A couple of them leaked out as he spoke quietly. "I made a promise ya know, that I wouldn't freeze and leave my friends to fend for themselves, ever again. Here I was ready to fight and I still couldn't save Kiki. I was ready to fight, I was fighting and I couldn't do anything to help Riku and Kiki….I was here!" he said choking back a sob. "And she still died." he said holding back a sob as more tears fell.

" _To place such an unbearably burden on the shoulders of young children, if that's the way the Shinobi….you can have it."_ Tazuna said solemnly in his thoughts.

He turned to Riku, feeling guilty over this whole thing and what had happened to poor Kiki. He walked to sobbing boy and placed a hand on his shoulder, he thought they should at least take the needles out of Kiki. But Riku tighten his grip on the girl and jerked away from Tazuna. "Don't touch her!" he wanted to yell louder but his throat half choked his words. "Don'tcha touch her!" he said tears falling, his sharingan flashing at him. Tazuna stepped back as Riku continued to sob.

 **X X X**

Zabuza clashed with Kakashi who had managed to imbed a couple of Kunai in his arms. He panted exhausted but Kakashi glared standing up straight despite everything he showed no signs of Fatigue he didn't even talk he was done talking rage burned in his eyes at Zabuza.

" _Why?_ _Why can't I keep up with him!?"_ Zabuza growled in his thoughts. He lunged at Kakashi who merely backhanded him, knocking him away. One arm hung limply as he was using the other to swing his blade now. With a scream he ran at Kakashi who merely punched him away. He stood on his feet Kakashi merely returned with another punch and knocked Zabuza back with the back of his fist. It made Zabuza spin around his sword cutting into the cement.

"I'll split you in half!" Zabuza roared as he rushed at Kakashi slashing at him but he dodged when he rose his blade to bring it back down Kakashi had disappeared and reappeared behind him; Then grabbed him by the neck.

"Look at you," Kakashi finally spoke. "You're falling apart. I knew you wouldn't be able to handle the long haul."

"What did you say!?" Zabuza snarled.

"You have no idea what real strength is!" Kakashi said simply. Gato had suddenly appeared on the bridge unsurprised by the sight.

"Well, well so this is how it ends huh?" he chuckled as Kakashi spun Kunai in his hands then held two aiming for his neck.

"It's over Zabuza." He said thrusting his arm. But Zabuza countered swinging his sword forcing Kakashi to alter his trajectory and stab him in the other arm and jump away as Zabuza lost the use of both arms now. His sword, skid across the ground sparks flying and hit the side of the bridge alerting Naruto and Zabuza who rushed up to see what happened.

"Now both of your arms are useless what now? You can't even make hand signs." Kakashi mocked. They were alerted to a chuckle from Gato making everyone notice their presence.

"He did quite the job on ya didn't he Zabuza? You look like yesterday's Sashimi. I must say I'm disappointed…" he said darkly.

Zabuza turned from the edge of the bridge and looked at Gato slightly confused, "Gato, what is this? What are you doing here and who are those thugs you brought with you?" He said noting the many thugs with weapons drawn.

"Well you see there's been a slight change in plans." Gato replied with a sneer. "According to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge?"

"What?" Zabuza muttered.

"You're too expensive, so I'm taking you off the pay roll. But these thugs combined are worth something too so if you could slaughter a few of them before they take you down I'd appreciate it." Gato said with a sick grin on his face. "Think you can manage that, _Demon Ninja of the Hidden Mist?"_ He added in a condescending tone. He laughed. "Look at you you're about as demonic as a wet Kitten." He said laughing his goons laughing alongside him.

" _There's so many of them, one Rogue Ninja was bad enough…"_ Naruto said fearfully in his thoughts staring in shock.

"Sorry Kakashi, it would seem our fight is over. Since I am no longer in Gato's employ, I don't have a reason to go after Tazuna anymore."

"Yeah I suppose you're right…" Kakashi agreed as the two stared down Gato and his thugs, their leader walking up to Haku's body.

"That reminds me…" he said looking over it and reflecting back on a week ago. Kakashi, Zabuza and Naruto could see a cast on his arm. "You little punk, you grabbed and broke my arm!" he said growling before smiling his sick grin again. "I've been meaning to repay you for that…" he said putting all his might into a Kick in his body Naruto gasped in horror as the two Jounin just watched. "Heh, I only wish he was alive to feel it."

"GET AWAAAAAYYYYY!" Naruto shouted, racing at Gato. "GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU SCUM!"

"Hey stop!" Kakashi said quickly grabbing him and pulling him back. "Use your head!" Kakashi growled making Naruto back down but the anger was still in his eyes.

"Well what about you Zabuza?! You gonna let him do that?!" Naruto shouted.

"Shut up kid, Haku's dead, what does it matter?" Zabuza replied.

"WHAT?! So you're okay with watching him get treated like a Dog!? You and Haku were together for years! Doesn't that mean anything!?" Naruto shouted.

"You don't understand the way of Shinobi," Zabuza replied. "I used him just as Gato used me. Now it's over, his usefulness is at an end. The loss of strength and his skill, that means something to me; but the boy….nothing."

"If you really mean that you're an even bigger bastard than I thought!" Naruto spat.

"Okay that's enough," Kakashi said putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Calm down Naruto he's not the enemy. Not right now."

Naruto whacked off Kakashi's arm. "Shut up! As far as I'm concerned he's still our enemy!" Naruto shouted pointing an accusatory finger at Zabuza. "Grrrrr…." He growled shaking in rage. "You ungrateful….after everything he did for you! Haku loved you!" Naruto shouted reflecting back on Haku's words in the forest.

" _Is there….someone who's precious to you?"_

"You were the most important thing in the world to him!" Naruto shouted.

" _For me there is only one person who matters. And my purpose is to protect and serve him and that purpose is what gives me strength."_

"He loved you more than anything and he meant nothing to you, nothing at all?!" Naruto asked "While he was sacrificing everything to you, you never felt anything for him!?" he said his voice wavering as he thought about the ice mirrors and Riku and Kiki fighting inside it he killed his teammate for Zabuza.

" _I never wanted to become Shinobi… I don't want to kill you. But if you come at me….I will destroy my kind heart and become a true Shinobi…"_

Naruto eyes watering welling with tears as he thought about Haku giving his life for Zabuza who showed no despair about it. "And if I become stronger will I be as cold hearted as you are?! He threw his life away and for what for you and your dream!?"

" _I want only to make his dream come true. That is my dream."_

"You never let him have a dream of his own! But he didn't care."

" _I was happy…"_

"And you toss him aside like he was nothing, a broken tool?" Naruto sobbed, "That's so wrong!"

There was a silence but then….

"You talk too much…" Zabuza said slightly choked. Naruto looked up, suddenly heard tears hit the cement…from Zabuza, who raised his head to the sky slightly. "Just stop talking…"

Naruto sniffed wiping his face with his sleeve. Tazuna and Kakashi silently watched. "While he fought your comrades, his heart was breaking in two. Haku was always too soft and too kind, he felt pain and sorrow. And now curse him I feel them too…" He said biting into the wrappings and tearing them off to Gato's surprise, revealing shark like teeth. "Even we Shinobi are human, no matter how hard we try to escape that simple fact…we fail…Boy, give me your Kunai."

Naruto nodded and silently tossing it to him. Memories of Haku flashing in his mind, Zabuza grabbed it in his teeth rushing at Gato, who yelped in fear and turned to run. "Enough already do it! Do it now! Kill them all!" He said rushing to the back of the crowd the men sneered excitedly.

"Alright," said one.

"He must be out of his mind!" said another as Zabuza charged. "He's armless and barely alive!" The one who had spoke was instantly cut down by the attack as were several others. A Few more rushed to attack but Zabuza dodged them all as they shouted he slit the throat of another taking a spear to the back as he charged at Gato who was cornered at the unfinished bridge. The crime boss gaped in horror as Zabuza cut a bloody path through his thugs, despite at least four bladed weapons sticking out of his back. He screamed, the shriek becoming choked as Zabuza, stabbed him in the chest, Gato coughed up blood. Zabuza was grinning but soon Gato's men were stabbing in in the back making him lose the Kunai for a second, embedded in Gato's chest, but he held on as he stumbled away from the men with many weapons and spears in his back.

"If you want to join your friend….so badly…" Gato coughed, "then go ahead, but you're not taking….me with you…not this time…..you crazy….fool"

"No…" Zabuza muttered, "Where Haku has gone, I cannot follow…." He said slowly turning to Gato.

"Stay back, stay back!" Gato gasped fearfully but Zabuza got right into his face with a sick look on his face.

"No my friend, it's the other place we're going you and me GATO!" Zabuza said with a grin his shark like teeth glistening in the light horrifying the man. "I can't think of a more fitting destination for a demon Ninja can you?" Zabuza asked smirking. "I'm told there are many demons down there of all shapes and sizes! Ohhh yess!" he said sadistically "I should fit right in, you on the other hand Gato…well I fear you're in for a very long and painful eternity!" pulling the kunai out with his teeth, Zabuza slash up Gato's stomach and chest. The last thing Gato saw was Zabuza's murderous eyes as the demon of the mist decapitated the crime boss, his lifeless corpse falling at Zabuza's feet, and his severed head landing amidst his thugs.

Everyone watched silently in shock. Zabuza looked at them they gasped in utter horror, some dropping their weapons and wanting to run for their lives from this demon… but his wounds seemed to finally take their toll as the bloody kunai fell from his mouth and he collapsed onto the cold stone of the bridge.

"Haku…" he groaned in pain. He looked up seeing Haku in his casual floral Kimono looking back at him. "So this is…goodbye….at last….not once did I ever thank you Haku…forgive me for that…"

Naruto moved his head. "Don't turn away…" Kakashi said solemnly. Naruto looked at him. "This is how the life of a man who lived a difficult life ends." Kakashi said to him.

 **X X X**

 _ **Bathump…..bathump…..bathump…..bathump…..**_

" _Am I alive…or…is this..."_ There were muffled sounds reaching her ears slowly but surely they cleared… Kiki slowly opened her eyes feeling tears falling on her seeing the source above her. Riku sobbing hard over her, he still had needles in him but he didn't seem to notice

"Ri…ku…" Kiki's voice coughed breaking through the tears and sadness. Riku opened his eyes and looked down.

"Kiki…?" he said in disbelief. Then smiled tears of joy falling down.

She nodded smiling. "I'm sorry…I really thought…"

Riku pulled her into a hug, crying into her shoulder. "Oh thank-"he choked, "I thought you were dead!"

"Riku…that hurts…" Kiki said quietly.

"Sorry…" Riku said easing his grip. "It's just, I thought..." he wipes his eyes again "Never mind...I'm just so glad you're alive." He said, "You're one of my best friends... I don't know what I'd have done if you'd really..." Kiki pushed herself up. "No don't move…here…" he said picking her up. "I got you."

"What happened to that guy in the mask? How are Naruto and Kakashi doing?" Kiki asked as Riku moved towards the others.

"I think we've won so far…and that guy…he threw himself in the way for Zabuza…" Riku replied.

"What? Why would he do that?" Kiki asked.

"I have no idea…" Riku muttered as he made his way to Naruto and Tazuna. Naruto turned and saw Kiki looking at him. Naruto smiled brightly.

"You're alive! Tazuna, Kakashi sensei, Kiki's alive believe it!" he said happily, tears of joy running down his own face.

Tazuna took off his glasses and wipes his eyes. " _So everything turned out right after all…"_

Kiki smiled herself, looking at Haku. " _He never meant too…from the very beginning, I'm not sure why but…"_

" _We're alive…"_ Riku said letting one last tear fall.

"Well, will wonders, never cease… amazing." Kakashi sighed.

One of the thugs suddenly tapped the ground with their weapons. "Hey!" they shouted catching the attention of Naruto, Riku and Kakashi. "Don't go getting to comfortable now."

"Who's gonna pay us now that Gato's gone?" Asked one in a purple mask, "we're not going anywhere empty handed."

"So we'll be heading to that village to see what they have for us!" said the lead thug making them cheer.

"Not good…" Kakashi growled.

"Come on Kakashi sensei you've gotta have a Jutsu to deal with these losers!" Naruto said turning to him.

"Not right now, I've used up too much of my Chakra…" Kakashi admitted.

"Alright get em boys!" the leader shouted as they charged at the Ninja an arrow was shot and landed between them. They looked back.

"You forgot one thing!" Gichi said standing there with the towns folk Tsunami and Inari who had shot the arrow. "If you want this town you've gotta go through us first!"

"YEAAAAHHHH!" the towns folk shouted armed with hard hats, garden tools, and any weapons they could find.

"Inari!" Naruto shouted in glee.

Inari giggled and rubbed his nose. "Heroes usually show up late ya know." Tazuna's eyes welled with tears seeing his grandson both laugh and smile. And that courage had once again found its way into his fellow villager's hearts. "They've all come, the village…" he quietly sobbed.

Naruto smirked. " _No way am I gonna miss out on all the fun._ _ **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**_ A good two dozen of Naruto's suddenly appeared. Kakashi hummed as he watched the thugs get a little scared.

" _Hmm I might have just enough Chakra to help you out._ _ **Shadow clone Jutsu-Kakashi style!"**_ Kakashi said as they all appeared lining up behind the Naruto. The thugs yelped in fear now as the Kakashi's glared them down. "Well, still want to fight?"

"Let's get outta here!" one of them shouted as they turned tail and running back to the boat clamoring to get on it some falling off or just jumping off the bridge in general.

The villagers followed and watched as the boat sped away. "Victory!" Inari shouted as the villagers cheered Tazuna watching with tears in his eyes. Zabuza watching as well, feeling his life fading then a pair of feet stopped in front of him.

"Sounds like it's over…" Zabuza muttered quietly.

"Yeah," Kakashi gruffly replied.

"Kakashi….I have a favor….before I go…take me to him…I need to see him one last time…" Zabuza said quietly.

Kakashi pulled his headband over his Sharingan looking at Zabuza with sadness. "Sure…." he said pulling the weapons from his back and laying him on his back. Everyone watched quietly as he picked Zabuza up and carried him. Suddenly snow began to fall as Tazuna and Inari looked up as did Naruto, Kiki and Riku.

"Impossible…" said Gichi.

"Snowing at this time of year?" another villager muttered.

" _Haku…are you crying?"_ Zabuza asked in his own mind as he watched the snow. Kakashi finally reaching Haku laid Zabuza down gently. "Thank you…Kakashi…." he said looking at Haku, "You were always at my side, the least I could do is be by yours at the end. "I know it's not possible but…" he said lifting his arm with the last of his strength and caressing Haku's face. "I wish I could go where you were going…how I wish….I could… Haku…"he said with his last breath, as sunlight burst through in bits shining down on them.

"Remember what he said…" Riku muttered as Naruto wept. "Where he came from it was always snowing…" Naruto nodded letting out a sob.

"Of course…" Kakashi agreed. "His spirit was as pure as the snow…Maybe you can join him there Zabuza…maybe you can…."

 **X X X**

They had buried Zabuza and Haku at a hill overlooking the land of waves. Both simple wooden crosses with flower wreaths and Zabuza's sword planted in the ground behind it. "Is that really the way Kakashi sensei?" Kiki asked.

"Huh?" Kakashi asked.

"To use and be used as tools?" Kiki asked as Riku and Naruto looked up at him.

"Shinobi are always tools in the hands of Destiny, no point wondering whether it's right or wrong. It just is it's the same in the Village of the Leaves." Kakashi replied simply.

"Well if you ask me if that's the Ninja way something's out of whack! Is that why we go through all this training to end up like them!?" Naruto asked.

"What is the point of that?!" Riku added.

"Well…" Kakashi sighed not having an answer. "It's a question without an answer and that is something we ninja have to deal with every day, like Zabuza and the kid."

Naruto looked to the sun. "Okay! I've just come to a decision he said alerting them, from now on I'm going to find my own Ninja way! A way that's straight and true! One with no regrets! I'll follow the way of Naruto!"

"Huh?" Kakash iasked

"The way of Riku!" Riku said nodding holding his hand up.

"The way of Kiki!" She added happily making Kakashi chuckle at them.

 **X X X**

A full two weeks later, everyone's wounds were healed and the bridge was finally complete. "We could have never finished the bridge without you." Tazuna said gratefully. "I can't tell you how much we're going to miss you."

"You be careful now." Tsunami added.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi replied.

"Now, now don't get all choked up, we'll be back to visit soon." Naruto assured.

"Y…you promise you will?" Inari asked tearing up a little.

"Yeah, promise and ya know Inari," Naruto said tearing up himself. "There's nothing wrong with crying right now. If you want to cry go right ahead."

"Who says I want to cry? And if there's nothing wrong why don't you do it?" Inari sobbed.

"No you first…" Naruto said as they stared at each other unwilling to break. "oh forget it!" he groaned turning away Inari held out a hand for them but they were still three feet from each other bawling their eyes out as Riku and Kiki sweat-dropped.

"It was all his doing. That boy made you stronger Inari and you in turn made us Stronger. It's thanks to that boy that we were able to finish this bridge and travel it to place we've never known a place where we found our courage. A place, where we can make our Dreams come true."

"Hey speaking of the bridge now that it's finished shouldn't we name it?"

"Yes", Tazuna said, "and I know the perfect name. The Great Naruto Bridge."

Gichi chuckled. "You sure about that name Tazuna?"

Tazuna chuckled. "It's a name that brought us good luck it'll do the same for the bridge. I think this bridge will stand for a long, long time. Perhaps it'll even been famous one day. The name Naruto known throughout the world that would be something wouldn't it?" he said as Inari wiped his eyes watching them go.

 **X X X**

"When we get home, I'm gonna have Mom cook me up a whole bunch of ramen to celebrate mission accomplished. And I can't wait to tell Konahamaru all about my adventures, the kid's gonna worship me!" Naruto said as Riku looked ahead quietly.

"Riku, you've been awful quiet." Kiki said, "Something wrong?"

Riku blushed, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Kiki asked surprised as they walked. "I'm fine, really."

"I know it's just…All that stuff I said." He muttered looking really embarrassed as he looked away.

"It happens to everyone, especially when you're really close to them." Kakashi said catching the attention of his students. "You two were friends before you became team 7, right? So it makes sense you'd react like that on your first real mission like this. I've seen it plenty of times. So there's no need to be so embarrassed." He said smiling under his mask.

"Uhhh, thanks…" Riku said blushing even harder. Naruto got close to Riku eyeing him slyly. "Shut up Naruto!" he shouted as the blond ninja laughed and ran ahead. Kakashi sighed, making his way forward at a slightly faster pace as Kiki got next to Riku.

"Uhh, hey again...Kiki" He said, sounding more than a little embarrassed.

"Thanks for worrying about me Riku, I'm glad I have a friend like you." she said, planting a light, almost playful kiss on the cheek, "Come on they're getting ahead of us!" she said rushing forward.

"Uhh right!" Riku said standing a little ridged. They both ran to catch up, Riku now red as a cherry and Kiki blushing a little herself as they headed home to Konoha.

* * *

 _ **Sweet Sweet ending in more ways than one!**_

* * *

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	13. Darkness of the Hidden Leaf!

_**And here we come to a brand new arc**_

* * *

 _I own nothing except the stuff I made up some characters belong to Freelancer1989 special thanks to him for editing_

* * *

 _ **Darkness of the Hidden Leaf!**_

 _ **Drip…..drip…..drip…drip**_

That was the sound he heard as he opened his eyes. Naruto looked around. It was a very dank, stone cold area pipes that were leaking lined the ceiling with low pale yellow lighting fill up the area. He noticed the dripping. There was water just reaching the bottoms of his feet.

"Where am I?" he asked barely able to see.

" _Hehehehehehe..."_ It was laughter, a cruel mocking laughter directed at him. Naruto quickly turned to face whoever it was.

"Who's there?!" he asked but then gasped quietly in awe. In front of him was a large set of barred doors closed tightly. Up where a lock should be was a piece of paper with a symbol on it that read 'seal'.

" _Your first mission and your little friends nearly die. Some help you were boy hehehehehe."_

"Shut up!" Naruto growled.

" _Ooohh does the truth hurt boy?"_ The voice sneered.

"I had a job to do, ya know! Riku pulled through and that kid never meant to kill Kiki, she was in that near death state that's all!" Naruto snapped.

" _And what did you do? Hmm watch over that old man from the sidelines?"_ The voice asked before taking a condescending sarcastic tone. " _Oh yes that was such an important job."_

Naruto growled gritting his teeth. "SHUT UP! You're talking to the future Fifth Hokage! I'm gonna get stronger and stronger believe it!"

" _Oh yes, with flowery speeches I see…"_ the voice mocked.

"Who the hell are you anyway!?" Naruto shouted to the bars. Within seconds a pair of enormous eyes and massive grinning sharp teeth and fangs appeared behind the bars, a red aura glowing around them.

" _You think you can talk people out of killing you like you did on that bridge?" The voice asked seriously yet retained its grin. "You got lucky boy, nothing more."_

Naruto glared. "Doesn't mean I won't get stronger, ya know." He countered.

" _Oh yes, maybe you'll talk the enemy into making nice while your friends are on the ground and breathing their last breath. You're incredibly naïve if you believe that's how the world works."_

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted visibly furious now.

The thing in the cell grinned more behind, the bars. " _What are you going to do about it?"_

Naruto rushed at the bars rearing his fist back and infusing it with Chakra he aimed for the left eye. However, he crashed into the bars then the thing snapped at him making him fall back. Naruto pulled himself to his feet, as the creature smiled even more.

" _Gooood, get angry boy…."_

"Why, why do you want me to, huh!?" Naruto growled.

The thing stared at him for a minute then grinned and began to laugh harder and malevolently. Naruto felt a little bit afraid now.

"What…are…you?" Naruto asked timidly as it continued to laugh harder and harder. The thing then let out a horrible piercing shriek like roar that made Naruto scream… then he woke up finding himself back in his own room.

A Dream, it was only a dream….But Naruto could still hear that thing's mocking laughter at the back of his mind.

"What was that?" Naruto asked himself pulling off his sleep cap.

"Naruto," Kushina called. "Breakfast is ready."

"I'm coming!" Naruto called before getting up and pulling the sheets off himself.

 **X X X**

As he was eating he looked at the clock. Kakashi had set up a meeting time for Nine AM sharp and he didn't want to be late. But what was making him not wolf down all his food was that dream.

"You alright Honey?" Kushina asked.

"Oh yeah!" he said taking a big bite. "Sorry, mff" he said mouthful before swallowing. "I had this really weird dream ya know. I was in this weird basement with water everywhere and this big monster in a cage. It was making fun of me, but…"

As Naruto talked Kushina perked up at what he described. "A Monster in a cage?" she asked.

"Yeah it was the strangest thing." Naruto replied biting into his toast. He swallowed the last of his milk and finished the rest of his breakfast. He gasped at the time. "I'm gonna be late!" he shouted running to the window and jumping out.

"Naruto!" Kushina shouted, her hair floating in anger. "Don't do that! That's rude!" he shouted as Naruto rushed off.

Naruto ran across the rooftops and made his way down into the main street. He ended up surprising one of the store clerks.

"AAHHH, watch where you're going!" he shouted.

"Oh sorry," Naruto said turning towards him. The Store Clerk who was selling Masks gasped when he saw who it was.

"Ohh Young Lord Naruto, don't worry about it." said the clerk.

"No it's fine I shouldn't have surprised you." Naruto said as he suddenly spotted a Fox mask, "hey Mister, how much for the Mask exactly?"

"Well, for you it's free." The man replied.

"What, no, no, no, I can't just take things from you even if I am the Hokage's son. Besides, I'm a full-fledged Ninja now." He said showing a bill from his wallet. "See?"

The man hummed. "Well, it's thirty Yen if you insist on paying."

"Okay!" Naruto said handing him the money and placing the mask on his head above the headband. "Thanks bye!" he said rushing off. Several villagers called to him calling him Lord Hokage's son or Lord Naruto or something of the like. He politely waved and greeted as he kept going.

" _Lord Hokage's son this, Lord Hokage's son that….I've gotta find a way to stand out as my own Ninja!"_

Despite this, and his Nightmare, Naruto felt invigorated for the day. He rushed off down the street and made his way to the bridge where Kiki and Riku were waiting.

"There you are." Riku said as Naruto jumped down.

"Am I late?" Naruto asked.

"No but we expected you a little sooner." Kiki replied as they began waiting for Kakashi sensei….which took a couple of hours, maybe three….

"Hey guys Good morning!" he said suddenly appearing on the gate top over the bridge. They looked up at him. "Sorry I'm late I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"WHHAAAAT?!" Naruto and Riku shouted as Kiki's eye twitched in disapproval.

" _The Path of Life could've led you to this bridge much sooner."_ She thought.

"Alright Sensei," Naruto said vigorously. "I'm ready for the next mission. Sensei, another chance to prove myself I've gotta burn it up!"

"We just had a chance to prove ourselves." Kiki and Riku said in unison behind them.

"They do have a point." Kakashi said deflating Naruto a little bit. "It was dumb luck that you guys wrangled an A level mission for your first one, and you did do very well, but let's dial it back a bit okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," Naruto said thinking about what the creature in his dreams said. "I'm gonna get stronger and stronger and save everyone on our missions, BELIEVE IT!" he stated to the sky fired up.

"He's eager…" Riku said sweat-dropping.

 **X X X**

Their first mission had them trying to track down a missing parrot for a rich family from the Land of Fire outside the village. Naruto and Riku had the task of distracting it.

"You go left I'll go right," Riku said.

"Got it," Naruto replied, they both broke off in their own directions. Naruto inched closer the parrot saw him and mocked him.

"Moron, moron, moron!" he said Naruto wanted to attack it but the plan, he held back thinking evilly to himself.

" _We'll see who the Moron is when you're in the wood cage Kiki's got prepared for you when Riku chases you around, believe it, MUHAHAHAAHA!"_ He thought. "Alright!" he shouted throwing a Net but the bird dodged, and Riku rushed after it, using his Sharingan to follow it around. He chased it to where Kiki was hiding.

" _ **Wood style Jutsu!"**_ She shouted creating a cage that surrounded the parrot. Naruto laughed as Riku caught it.

"Now who's the moron?" he mocked the bird. However the bird remained silent much to his chagrin. Then it was off to the Hokage office.

"Geeze after Zabuza and the Land of Waves, this seems so simple." Riku replied as they carried the bird cage.

"When are we gonna get a C ranked mission again ya know?" Naruto asked; they had spent the day walking dogs, picking weeds and babysitting.

"I agree, it's getting a little boring again, I like that we've traveled a bit but still." Kiki said.

"You'll get more exciting missions soon, Naruto I got an earful from your mom about having you on an A Rank mission, she'd have rather I sent you home." Kakashi said remembering Kushina yelling at him.

"Ehhh sorry," Naruto muttered sheepishly.

"You guys aren't the only ones having missions like this; the others who graduated are doing house work as you call it, too. It helps the Genin hone their skills and learn about the Ninja world. You'll get more exciting missions when you gain more experience." Kakashi lectured.

"Green horns, green horns!" the parrot happily chatted making the kids glare into its cage. It cooed a little, Kiki wasn't sure if it was out of fear or mocking.

"Let's hope our next mission objective isn't nearly as chatty." Riku growled as they made their way to the Hokage tower where it was happily reunited with its owner.

"Why would anyone want a chatty parrot for a pet?" Riku asked.

"I have no idea," Kiki replied.

"Alright our next mission for Team Seven is cleaning out the bank of the Naka River and that should be all for today." Hiruzen instructed as they made their way there carrying garbage pics and large baskets on their backs.

"Where is the bank anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Right outside the Uchiha compound," Riku replied.

"Okay well, I've never been there before so where is it?"

 _ **An Hour of walking later….**_

"All the way back here!?" Naruto yelped in surpise."Geeze this is almost outside the village, who's idea was this!?" Naruto yelped.

"Questions for later, right now we need to clean out the Naka River bank." Kakashi said as they made their, way over there.

"Careful not to slip or you'll be carried away by the water, and fall off a water fall outside the village." Kakashi instructed.

"Got it." the three replied as they started cleaning. Naruto let out a small yelp everyone gasped as he lost his balance however he used his Chakra to plant his feet in the water and stay standing he sighed in relief he lost it again when the water made him lose focus Riku quickly helped him keep balance.

"That was close," Riku sighed.

"It's harder to walk on water with Chakra because it's constantly moving that might be something for tomorrow." Kakashi noted.

They suddenly heard shouting rushing past them flailing in the water were Sakura, Tiko, Nika and Yoshi.

"What the?!" Riku shouted as the three rushed after them. Their sensei, Takuto, was running after them. Riku used a rope tied it to a tree and grabbed Nika by his feet holding on tightly.

"Whew, made it." he sighed in relief as Kiki caught Sakura and Yoshi on a tree branch she created with Wood style Naruto used his own rope to grab Tiko.

"Gotcha!" he shouted in success Tiko however was so freaked out by the experience he dug his claws deep into the blonde Ninja making him scream in pain.

"CLAWS! OOOOOOOOOWWWWW THAT HURTS YA KNOW!"

 **X X X**

"We're sorry," the three said bowing.

"It's really no trouble." Kakashi assured sweat-dropping.

"We're just glad everyone's okay." Riku said as the other two nodded.

The kids finished up cleaning the River with Team Eleven finishing up their own mission. "They have their quirks but their team work is improving greatly." Kakashi noted.

"I wish I could say the same about my team, Sakura, is easily pissed off, she doesn't like Yoshi, Yoshi doesn't like her, Nika tries to be a mediator between them but isn't impressed with Sakura being afraid of Uchiha and Tiko is loudmouthed for a Kitten," Takuto sighed.

"I'm sure they'll smooth things over. My team wasn't so perfect starting out," Kakashi assured.

"I hope you're right," Takuto sighed he left Naruto threw in the last can into his basket.

"And done!" he said grinning.

"RIIIIKUUUU!" Sitka shouted running towards them.

"Sitka!" Riku said happily.

"Who is he?" Naruto asked.

"He's Riku's older brother, he's really fast, and wants to be one of the fastest Ninja alive." Kiki said.

"Really, I bet he's not as fast as my dad." Naruto said off handedly.

"Riku I just talked to mom, she's back from her mission, but she still has some stuff to do. She asked to try and hold off on using your Sharingan till tonight so she can help you learn how to use it." Sitka said.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." Riku replied.

"Okay I'm going to visit Shisui's grave, I'll see you later." Sitka replied running off.

"Your mom?" Naruto asked.

"She's the head of our Clan," Riku replied.

"Whoa really?!" Naruto squeaked in surprise.

Riku nodded, "And Kiki's the daughter of the Senju Clan head." She nodded sweetly.

"Whoa, that makes you guys like a Prince and a Princess!" Naruto yelped.

"Sort of, but not quiet," Kakashi added from the behind him. The group gave their report and headed towards the center of town passing the cemetery. That's when they saw something terrible.

There was a bunch of Graves completely destroyed and exhumed. Kiki and Riku gasped in horror as Naruto charged in finding the culprits over two Gravestones that read ' _Shisui Uchiha'_ and the other ' _Obito Uchiha'_

"What do you think you're doing!?" Naruto snarled.

"We're removing the graves of those who don't deserve to be here," Said one of the Chunin.

"What?!" Naruto snarled as Riku and Kiki arrived.

"Well, here comes one of those filthy Uchiha now" said the other, glaring at Riku.

"You take that back!" Kiki snarled glaring at them putting an arm in front of Riku.

"You're really are stupid aren't you girly?" the one with black hair growled.

" _ **Earth style dome!"**_ Shouted the white haired one beside him wearing a head scarf protector over his head, he covered the kids in a earth doom, then there was a massive tremor that made them yelp and flinch it faded and they gasped Kiki suddenly did her own hand signs.

" _ **Earth style Jutsu!"**_ She shouted breaking the Dome apart they gasped in horror seeing both Graves Exhumed and the head stones completely shattered.

"How could you…" Riku muttered, his dark eyes turned crimson with the sharingan.

"No filthy Uchiha should be buried with actual heroes," Said the white haired Chunin.

"Uchiha or not that was cruel!" Kiki shouted.

"Do the Uchiha deserve to be treated kindly?!" shouted the black haired one Naruto snarled his anger bubbling inside him.

However someone had already snapped. It was Kakashi who rushed forward and grabbed the white haired, Chunin's arm and twisted it behind him and slammed him into an adjacent stone.

"You shouldn't have done that…" Kakashi growled in a very cold and dangerous tone making his students move back in fear. The Black haired one went to attack only for Kakashi to throw the one he had grabbed into him then he proceeded to beat them into the ground. Before Kakashi could deal one more blow, there was another Ninja that grabbed his wrists they talked for a moment before Kakashi backed off. He was a tall slightly pale boy about Sitka's age with long black hair tied back into a pony tail that lay down against his back. He wore a shirt similar to Riku's but a Dark Grey and black ninja pants he also had a sword on his back and lines from the center of his face going down.

"Riku, Kiki, Naruto, head home. Itachi and I need to take these two vandals to the Hokage." Kakashi said quietly with a growl. The three watched as Kakashi and Itachi took them away. The three students looked around in horror.

"How could anyone do this? Why would anyone do this?" Kiki muttered.

"It might have something to do with the Uchiha coup d'etat." Riku muttered quietly hanging his head.

Naruto growled and turned, but he then gasped. "Riku!" he yelped, Riku turned and saw Sitka standing there looking absolutely devastated. He hung his head and turned clenching his teeth and eyes shut.

"Sitka…" Riku said reaching out for him. Sitka quickly pulled away and started walking away Riku followed. "Sitka!"

"Just leave me alone, I need some time to think!" Sitka barked jumping off leaving Riku and the others behind.

"Sitka…" Riku muttered sadly.

"That was Sishui's grave they destroyed," Kiki muttered.

"Yeah, and I have an Aunt and Grandfather that was buried there too, it's terrible…" Riku hissed trying not to cry. He let out a painful sigh before he realized a silence. "Where's Naruto?"

 **X X X**

"Let me in there!" Naruto shouted, "I'm gonna show those two creeps!" he shouted at two elders who refused to let him in.

"This is not a matter for young children, Hokage's son or not," Said the woman wearing a white robe with her hair in a tight bun with a couple of pins sticking out of it.

"I don't care they wrecked a bunch of Graves and I'm gonna make them pay for it ya know!" Naruto spat.

"The Hokage will handle this matter," The man with a beard and glasses in his own white robe replied. "This is not something for children to concern themselves about."

"They still broke Grave stones! Who does that! Don't you care?" Naruto spat.

"You're getting over emotional young lord." The woman said.

"THAT'S NARUTO TO YOU I'M NOT JUST THE FOURTH HOKAGE'S SON YA KNOW!" Naruto shouted flailing his arms.

"Naruto!" Kiki shouted pulling him away and bowing to the elders Riku helped her get out of the building.

"You know who those two are, right?" Kiki asked sternly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know them Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado; the Village elders, who always give my mom a hard time about something. And end up pissing her off because reasons. I think they just like doing it ya know." Naruto grumbled.

"Well, you're not the only one." Riku muttered under his breath.

"Listen, the Hokage will take care of this they'll go to jail and the grave yard will get fixed okay?" Kiki said trying to comfort them. Riku just stared at the ground. Naruto seemed to finally calm down and thought for a moment.

"Hey Riku, why were only the Uchiha graves messed with and you mentioned a Coup?" Naruto asked.

"Six years ago, the Uchiha clan broke into two halves. They rebelled, trying to take out the Hokage and make the former Clan head Fugaku Uchiha the Hokage. My mom went to the Hokage and promised that she and her side of the Clan would stand with the Village. She only asked that Civilians would be taken to safety. After that her side had stood with the village and with the combined power of the Hokage and the other clans forced Fugaku's side out.

"Where are they now?" Kiki asked.

"No one knows," Riku replied. "A lot of young Uchiha left with their parents there are a couple at the Academy, me Itachi and Sitka, and a couple of babies but most of them went off with the rogues, including a friend of mine."

"Who?" Kiki asked.

"Saskue Uchiha…" Riku said looking into the sky. "I wonder what he's doing now?"

 **X X X**

Sitka was sitting by himself outside the village border he hissed sucking in a breath trying to fight back tears. "I'm not gonna cry!" he growled to himself wiping his eyes. As he sighed calming down he suddenly heard a rustle he gasped going absolutely still, slowly moving his hand to the pole arm that was strapped to his back. He activated his Sharingan he heard the rustle again and turned however something rushed up he dodged an attack by someone who looked very familiar to him. A Tall man with signs of stress on his face; long brown hair but he was wearing what looked like a different version of the Konoha Ninja outfit. The shirt and pants were a dark navy red. The Chunin Vest was brown with large gold spiked shoulder pads and gold colored armor around the shins with brown sandals.

"Fugaku!?" he said Fugaku quietly turned and rushed at him Sitka dodged and threw his Pole arm slicing his side but it was just a Shadow Clone. Sitka gasped looking around frantically.

"Where's the real one!?" he asked when two silver ethereal skeleton hand grabbed him and started to squeeze he struggled but they only tightened their grip. He could barely breathe let alone scream. With a hoarse yelp he passed out. After that the hands placed him gently down and disappeared. Fugaku came out looking over him before picking him up and escaping into the forest.

* * *

 **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**


	14. Saskue Uchiha

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up! Most original Characters and Ideas by Freelancer1989 special thanks to him for Editing_

* * *

 _ **Sasuke Uchiha!**_

"I need to look for Sitka," Riku said as they sat on a bench in the city, things were getting antsy from the news of vandals in the graveyard arguing about who's graves that had gotten destroyed.

"He looked very upset," Kiki muttered, knowing Sitka was pretty sensitive.

"Yeah, come on I have an idea of where'd he go." Riku replied as they jumped away.

"Hey wait up!" Naruto shouted rushing after them and running along the rooftops. Eventually Riku got to the outside of the border. He eventually led them to a small clearing with a fallen log.

"It's pretty peaceful here, so maybe he went out here to calm down." Riku said looking around.

"Well I don't see him." Naruto muttered walking around as Kiki and Riku looked around.

As Naruto peeked into the bushes, another pair of eyes started back at him. They belonged to a boy about his age. He was wearing a sleeveless, purple shirt with a tall collar similar to Riku's and Dark Black hair, with Red shinobi forehead protector with a symbol he had never seen before, resembling a wing of sorts. He had white paints and most notable dark eyes, much like Riku's but they lacked the warmth, and were much colder and cruel. He gave Naruto a look of annoyance.

" _What's with this guy_?" Naruto thought to himself as he glared back. Giving his own annoyed look. AS they glared into each other's eyes lightning sparking between them. A Couple of growls escaped their throats as they glared.

"Sasuke?" Riku's voice cut through, making them, turn to him and Kiki.

"HUH!?" Naruto asked surprised, looking between them. "You're the friend who went away with a bunch of Renegades and never came back!?"

"I wouldn't call us the Renegades." Sasuke replied simply.

"Sasuke…what do you mean?" Riku asked warily.

"The fact is Isis betrayed us." Sasuke replied, simply, "our whole clan!"

"That's not true!" Riku snapped getting angry with his former friend now.

"Hmph, keep telling yourself that; But we're open to those who realize the truth, I'm sure Sitka will come around…" Sasuke said off handedly.

"What?!" Kiki asked.

"What do you mean by that?!" Naruto growled, Sasuke remained silent, Naruto rushed at him throwing a punch that Sasuke easily dodged. And landed a punch but Naruto blocked it. He skid back and did a hand sign.

" _ **Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**_ He shouted, about ten Naruto rushed forward at him however Sasuke merely responded with hand signs of his own.

" _ **Fire Style Fire ball Jutsu!"**_ Sasuke shouted as the huge ball of fire hit several of the clones destroying them as well as knocking back the real Naruto and some others. They disappeared while Naruto pushed himself to his knees on the ground.

"Naruto!" Kiki shouted as she and Riku rushed to him. "Are you okay?"

"So you're the Fourth Hokage's son. Heh, I thought you'd be better than this." Sasuke scoffed.

"Where's Sitka!?" Riku growled.

Sasuke smirked, "Why don't you follow me and find out," he said jumping into the trees and began running and jumping along them.

"HEY!" Riku shouted, jumping after him. Kiki and Naruto were quick to follow. Sasuke was going quickly but not fast enough to leave the Trio behind. He looked back at them and smirked to himself.

"Where is he going?!" Kiki asked.

"Where ever Sitka is, we have to find him!" Riku said as they kept up with Sasuke.

As they followed Sasuke, they found the forest around them quickly changing. The trees were thinning out as more rivers were seen below them. Soon Sasuke was back on the ground as were Team Seven.

They were racing across Grassland; Riku gasped and stopped the others as they skidded to a halt. They were in front of a strange building. It was almost like a Pyramid but built into a Mountain. There were several doors. There were also Shinobi, with strange red brown and gold outfits similar to the Jonin outfits from home. Sasuke continued his way in a couple guards addressed him but not much else.

"I'm thinking this might be a trap." Naruto said simply.

"This is definitely a trap!" Riku growled.

"What do we do? We can't just leave him there!" Kiki argued.

"I know!" he said snapping a little more harshly then he intended but quickly changed his tone. "I know…" he stared at the structure racking his mind. "Stay here, I'm going for a closer look." Riku said rushing in sneaking into a doorway past one of the guards after using the transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as a mouse. He crawled around to a secluded corner and changed back.

The inside was a bit cavernous. It also had bits of railroad meaning this was a mine at one point. He snuck around; there were a couple of rooms. Some with beds a kitchen all had holes dug out for ventilation, but no Sitka….

"Sitka, where are you!?" Riku whispered quietly to himself, eyes worried.

 **X X X**

Sitka groaned, his head throbbing. Same with his muscles he went to rub his head but realized he couldn't move his arms or see, he had been tied up. He tried to call out but it only came out like a muffled yelp. It was enough however, footsteps came towards him. He soon felt the presence over him prompting him to move his head up. He felt the cloth around his mouth pulled away and out. He let out a grunt of discomfort.

"Who's there!?" Sitka growled finding his voice quick enough.

"Long time no see Sitka, you've become a fine Ninja," said Fugaku's voice.

"Fugaku…" Sitka growled. "What do you want, why'd you bring me here?!"

"To talk," Fugaku replied simply.

"And you couldn't do that where I originally was because….?" Sitka asked sarcastically.

"Too dangerous," he replied. "I know about the graves Sitka…" his tone trembling with anger at bringing it up.

"How do you know about that?!" Sitka asked in shock.

"I have my ways." Fugaku replied enigmatically.

"The village doesn't care about you or your clan." He continued. "Why do you risk everything for them? You go on missions and risk your life. Your brother will do the same, and how do they repay you, by vandalizing the graves of our fallen clan members for nothing more than spite?!" Fugaku's voice was rising with anger trying to keep itself steady.

Sitka sighed, he tried not to think about things like that but now he was being forced too, Fugaku seemed to wait for an answer. It was so quiet only their breathing could be heard. Sitka's shook a little while Fugaku's was patient. It took a few minutes, but Sitka finally spoke up.

"People do stupid things when they're hurting, and that's what happened, people died that night because of that stunt you pulled a lot of them Hyuga! Hence why the Hyuga clan hate us! They think we got off too easy. Regardless of how they treat us, my goal is to wipe away the memory of Madara!"

"So our clan can be like the Senju? How naïve, they will never accept us no matter what any of us do!" Fugaku shot back, "You think the poor Hyuga suffered? Well our clan was dealt a mighty blow mightier than theirs! Kakashi's former team mate Obito Uchiha was crushed at Kannabi Bridge, only a Sharingan from his body remained, and that's just one example. There are many more, you had a Grandfather and an Aunt that died in that war, and nothing of their deeds were ever spoken."

"I have no answer for that it's stupid and I don't know why they're never talked about but-" Sitka started only for Fugaku to cut him off.

"But nothing, they see us as monsters, no thanks to Madara Uchiha, but maybe he did have a point…"

"THAT'S A LIE!" Sitka shouted passionately, "He had no point! He got upset because he didn't get what he wanted and tried to destroy everything he and Hashirama built!"

"Don't act like the village isn't at fault! They didn't trust him and they are thankless to the clan that helped found that damned village and ended the Warring states era acting like it was all the Senju!" Fugaku snapped.

"We were still respected before the coup Fugaku!" Sita shouted.

"Somehow I no longer believe that, given what I told you about the war and what happened today." Fugaku replied.

"I have friends who trust me back there!" Sitka growled.

"And how long do you think that will last?! Do you think they'll stay with you when push comes to shove?!" Fugaku growled.

"Siding with you won't help!" Sitka snapped.

"And being a punching bag for those fools will?! Open your eyes boy!" Fugaku snarled, "They hate all of us even before the Coup and now they're showing it with impunity!"

"I don't blame the village for that Fugaku!" Sitka snarled back his voice getting loud enough that it could've caught someone else's attention. Fugaku merely and roughly re-gagged Sitka and left.

"This is for your own good." He muttered on the way out leaving Sitka alone in the darkness.

 **X X X**

Riku had heard the shout, he had tried to go in the direction he had heard it, he heard footsteps coming towards him and hid Fugaku had passed him. Riku tried to keep as quiet as possible concealing his Aura as much as he could. Fortunately Fugaku passed without, so much as a tilt of his head. Riku sighed in relief.

After a few moments he continued forward, making his way along the many tunnels there were a few more, unfortunately Riku hadn't given him much to go on. He tried to think right now he was lost and trapped underground with Ninja who knew this area better than he did. He was beginning to wish Kakashi had been with them, he could make this easier.

 **X X X**

Naruto and Kiki waited, Kiki couldn't keep her eyes off the mines while Naruto groaned in boredom. "I'm going after him!" Kiki finally said.

"Finally, it's about time someone decided to." Naruto said standing up and brushing himself off. Thanks to Kiki's earth style they were able to dig under one of the guards and pop up in the mines a little ways away from them.

"Whew…" Naruto sighed as they climbed out. "Next time I think I'll just change into something." He said as they entered the halls and made their way forward. "There's no way they dug this out on their own…"

"You're right, this was a mine from fifty years ago that was tapped out." Kiki replied as she glanced at the rock walls around her she rubbed her hand on one, smoothed out by tools and Earth Jutsu that made the tunnel a nice circular shape.

"Oh yeah, I think I remember Iruka Sensei, talking about it." Naruto stated. "Which means….that jerk Sasuke lead us twenty miles away from the village!" he growled.

"Yeah, we're close to the Land of Waves again." Kiki replied. She hummed in worry and turned back to him. "Do you think, we should've gotten Kakashi Sensei?"

"Probably," Naruto said as they made their way forward. "But its fine, we just need to find Sitka and Riku get out and go home! Easy ya know!"

"Yeah…..stealth and recon, if we survived Zabuza and Haku, we can survive this…" Kiki said talking mostly to herself as they went along.

As they walked down the hall, they heard laughing. They peeked inside, and saw a trio of men laughing as they were sitting around playing cards. "How long do think, it'll take Sasuke to bring that brat here?" said one with long greasy dark brown hair, wearing an outfit with gold sharp shoulder pads on the brown flak jacket with red clothes underneath.

"Who knows but Sasuke's got it covered." Said the older one with spikey white hair that had dulled color with age and wasn't a Natural Silver like Kakashi's. He also had his eyes squinted almost shut.

"Heh, Sasuke, Sasuke, he only got trusted with the assignment because Fugaku's his father," Said a boy who was sitting nearby.

"Sounds like your jealous, Kaizuki," Said one with short brown hair looking a little younger than Kakashi.

"Tch," Kaizuki said, he was wearing a black shirt with a tall, collar and black pants. He had large black eyes and Silver hair with hair that was slicked back and stuck out the back in a spiky way.

"Sasuke was someone Riku used to know, that's why he'd be more effective in bringing the boy here. If Fugaku is to convert them to our side, they need someone who was close to them." The older man said.

"Well, said Yashiro!" the younger brunette replied.

Kiki and Naruto gasped and slipped away, Kaizuki turned thinking he hard, something but saw nothing. " _Must be rats in this old place…"_

"We've gotta book it!" Kiki said as she and Naruto rushed down the hall.

"We've gotta find them and now! What are we gonna do that when we don't even know how these tunnels work!?" Naruto asked.

Kiki sighed, stopping for a minute and sighing. "You're right, if only there was some way we could figure out where they were…"

It was just then that they heard tapping, it was slow and loud there was a small pause between each one.

 _Tap, Tap, Tap, tap,_

"You hear that?" Kiki asked.

"I sure do…" Naruto replied rushing after it. Riku meanwhile, had gone in deeper.

 _Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap_

"Sitka?" He muttered to himself rushing after it. As he ran he heard faster footsteps and plastered himself against the wall. He slid against it, pulling out a Kunai, he then jumped out. Naruto and Kiki screamed.

"I told you guys to stay outside!" Riku quickly said sighing in relief.

"We couldn't wait any longer!" Kiki argued.

"Listen this whole thing is a trap! The goons here want you and Sitka to join we've gotta find him and get out of here!"

"You were following that tapping right?" Riku asked.

"You think it might be Sitka?" Kiki asked.

"I don't know, it's close in fact it might be…" he said pausing and turning to a wall.

Kiki gasped, "I know how we can know for sure!"

 **X X X**

The group went towards the tapping, there was a small hole. It had a couple of torches around it. Naruto poked his head in. At the end of it was Sitka who looked up when he heard footsteps.

"It's him!" Naruto said.

"Sitka!" Riku shouted, they rushed over, Sitka started to cry out warnings trying to get them to stay away, however, Riku couldn't understand. He knelt down to grab at the ropes that were around Sitka's arms but he felt something sharp at his neck.

"Don't move," Sasuke muttered.

"Sasuke…" Riku breathed, freezing with tiny tremors going up and down his spine.

"Too easy, you weren't being too careful. But I guess having Sitka here clouded your judgement." Sasuke said in his ear. Naruto pulled out his Kunai. "Don't move unless you want me to slit their throats."

"Grrrr…" Naruto growled glaring at him as did Kiki.

"What do you want with us?" Riku asked as Sitka thrashed.

"You're on the wrong side, so we've brought you here to get you to join us." Sasuke replied.

Riku glared at him. But smiled, "well, that makes sense….but…" suddenly he Kiki and Naruto all disappeared. Sasuke gasped and rushed outside.

"What the hell?!" Sasuke asked looking around. Suddenly roots sprung up and tied him down. The real Team Seven showed up.

"You didn't check did you Sasuke?" Riku smirked.

"Tch," Sasuke growled, mentally kicking himself. They rushed inside and untied Sitka.

"Thanks!" Sitka said free at last and rubbing his wrists, "Shadow Clones?"

"Yeah, my Uncle Tobirama designed them specifically for Recon, we knew it was a trap so we sent in Shadow Clones when they dismissed we came here to free you." Kiki replied as they ran.

"Now let's get out of here!" Naruto said as they rushed down the hall; however they felt heat behind them. Sasuke had quickly gotten free.

"He's using a Fire Ball Jutsu!" Sitka shouted, in response Kiki quickly turned around.

" _ **Earth Style Mudwall Jutsu!"**_ She shouted, creating a wall that blocked the attack.

"This way!" Sitka shouted running down the hall, leading them away. However Naruto started to notice something off.

"Hey Sitka we're going deeper, we want out!" Naruto shouted.

"I know." Sitka replied as he ran. He rounded a couple more corners. Naruto was getting nervous.

"I don't remember going this way!" Naruto shouted. Sitka wasn't listening Naruto growled as Sitka suddenly stopped in a large room. And suddenly, several more Ninja appeared about fourteen, and suddenly all their eyes started glowing red as they laughed evilly.

"Uchiha!" Riku growled as Naruto and Kiki gasped in horror. 'Sitka' smirked and jumped away from them and changed revealing it was Sasuke who smirked at them.

"You're not the only one who's creative with their clones." He sneered.

"Well done Sasuke," said a deep voice, the trio turned to see a tall man wearing the same uniform, as the men surrounding them.

"Fugaku!" Riku gasped.

"Riku, good to see you again" Fugaku said with an evil smirk.

"Where's Sitka!?" Riku snarled.

"You'll see him soon enough." Fugaku replied as the three were grabbed by the trio, that Kiki and Naruto saw earlier. Riku glared at them. Naruto thrashed yelling to be let go and yelling threats.

"I didn't expect the Princess of the Senju clan and Minato's son, though I'm sure we can figure out some uses for the two of you." Fugaku replied.

"Leave them alone!" Riku growled.

"Take them to the cell with the other one," Fugaku replied turning away.

"Yes sir." One of them said as they dragged the kids off.

"You won't get away with this!" Naruto shouted as he thrashed hitting the brown haired man holding him he snarled and hit Naruto hard in the head knocking him out.

"NARUTO!" Riku and Kiki shouted.

He groaned laying limp as they were dragged, away. Soon they were tied up and tossed in Sitka looked up at the sound and gasped. "Riku, is that you!?"

"Yeah," Riku replied sitting up blindfolded himself.

"Are you okay?" Sitka asked.

"I'd be better if our plan had worked." Riku replied.

"They took our Ninja tools" Kiki sighed.

"Doesn't matter, there's a seal on the cell that keeps us from using chakra" Sitka explained, "Don't worry, I'll figure a way to get you out of here!" he assured, "I have too…" he whispered to himself.

* * *

 _ **Sorry guys the reason this and Chapter thirteen took so long is because Freelancer1989 moved to a new house but everything's in order for now, I'll be moving soon so be away of that.**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	15. Stronger than the Sharingan The Mangekyo

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up story and most characters by Freelancer1989 special thanks to him for editing_

* * *

 _ **Stronger than the Sharingan! The Mangekyo!**_

Things with the Hokage had finally sorted out. He sighed deciding to head for home. However, Kushina rushed towards him calling his name.

"Kakashi, have you seen Naruto?" She asked worriedly.

"I told him Riku and Kiki to go home." Kakashi, replied, "He never showed up?"

"No, I haven't seen him since this morning and he usually tells me when he's going to Ichiraku." Kushina replied.

"And he isn't there either?" Kakashi asked.

"No, and Chisasu, hasn't seen Kiki either and no one has seen Riku, they've all disappeared." Kushina said worriedly.

"What about Riku's brother?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know," Kushina replied in a very worried tone.

Kakashi nodded and rushed off asking around town for any sign of them. Eventually he got some answer from the gate guards.

"We saw Sitka say he was gonna sit for a bit and come back, but he hasn't, do you think he's left the village." The guard asked.

"No I doubt that's it, even after today. What about my students?" Kakashi asked.

"They went outside to look for Sitka." He replied.

"Okay thanks!" Kakashi said looking around. He then bit his thumb drawing a bit of blood and slammed it into the ground. " _ **Summoning Jutsu!"**_

One small Ninja Dog named Pakkun appeared a small brown Pug with the same glazed laid back look that Kakashi had. He wore a blue vest and a blue leaf forehead protector.

"I need you to sniff around for Riku and the others." Kakashi said immediately.

"Right," The Dog replied as he began sniffing. He followed the scent he suddenly saw an abandoned Pole arm with a curved blade made of a specific metal for Chakra flow.

"What'd you find?" Kakashi asked.

"It smells like Sitka, must be his Polearm." The dog replied he sniffed some more, eventually he found another scent. "I smell lavender, miso, and sweat, but I smell something else, it smells musty like clothes that have been hiding out in caves or an old mine. I think I know where they went! I've got the scent!"

"Alright let's go!" Kakashi said as they took off. Following the same path that his students had followed earlier, He eventually got to the hideout and watched it carefully. He saw the same ninja Kiki, Riku and Naruto had and narrowed his eyes. "That explains a lot…"

 **X X X**

Naruto groaned opening his eyes. "He's waking up!" he heard Kiki's voice as his world came into focus.

"What happened?" Naruto grumbled.

"One of the thugs that grabbed you knocked you out. How do you feel?" Riku asked from across the room.

"My head is throbbing." Naruto sighed, sitting up but realized he was tied up. "WHAT THE HELL?! LET ME OUT OF HERE YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Naruto screamed thrashing like a splashing fish, only for a guard to slam on the door startling him.

"Shut up in there." The guard shouted.

"NO YOU SHUT UP!" Naruto barked back.

"Naruto!" Kiki hissed, "You'll get beat up again!"

Naruto sighed puffing out a cheek. "When I get out of here they're gonna regret it believe it!"

"You are Genin, they are chunin and Jonin, you'll, be creamed. Just leave this too me." Sitka barked.

"What are you gonna do?" Riku asked as Sitka began rubbing the side of his face against the wall up and down.

"If I could get this blindfold off, that'll be a start."

 **X X X**

Kakashi, walked down the tunnels being careful of the broken bits of railroad. He felt the musty air with small breezes coming in from the vent's surrounding the area. He couldn't see very much beyond the lights, lining the halls. They were deserted right now but he couldn't take comfort in that fact. He suddenly saw a man stretching in the hall. It was an Uchiha, Kakashi snuck up on him. He gasped and turned he had his Sharingan out but nothing he looked around. Suddenly something burst from the ground and grabbed him from behind, wrapping its arms around his head covering his mouth. He struggled, his Sharingan useless, and then came a twist on his head passing out.

Kakashi watched as he fell to the ground. He activated the Transformation Jutsu. Thankfully, he had lost an eye like him. He tied up the man and hid him in a nearby room. Then he went on his way to find the kids.

 **X X X**

Sitka had managed to rub his blindfold off but he still couldn't access his Sharingan like this. He looked around for something, suddenly spotting a rock next to Naruto that looked sharp, "Hey Naruto that rock behind you."

Naruto twisted his body and saw it. "What about it?" he asked.

"It might be sharp enough to cut these ropes enough, I just thought of a plan but it's gonna require waiting around but first these ropes have to be weak enough for me to break out." Sitka replied.

"I gotcha." Naruto stated as he crawled towards Sitka holding the rock, as he rubbed the ropes around his chest and hands against it.

Naruto looked like he was getting tired from the way he was positioned, however…soon Sitka backed away carefully. "Okay I'm ready you can stop." Naruto sighed lying down.

"Finally, my arms are tired." He sighed.

"Just hold out a little bit longer. Someone with ninja tools has to come here sooner or later…." Sitka said staring at the door.

After what seemed like forever it finally opened. Another Uchiha appeared, "Alright, time to condition you two." He grunted picking up Sitka who suddenly burst free to his surprise. Before he could react Sitka grabbed his head and head-butted the man as hard as he could, making him grunt in pain and hold his head as Sitka chopped his neck as hard as he could knocking him out.

"Alright!" Kiki shouted in cheered.

Once Sitka freed the kids and took the man's kunai and shuriken, he locked the man inside the cell. "Okay now let's try to get out of here without being caught."

"Right," Riku replied as they headed down the nearest, hall. They rushed forward, running through the area. Sitka stopped when they got to a cross roads, after a bit he felt a breeze.

"To the left!" Sitka instructed as the three followed him.

"I can feel wind! It's getting stronger, now I bet we're going the right way!" Naruto shouted.

 **X X X**

Pakkun had picked up Riku's scent. They made it to where the three kids had met back up. "They were here," Pakkun muttered they continued down the path.

Kakashi, found himself heading down a hall that had a lot more light as he got closer, he heard grunting and clashing of metal. Pakkun's ears perked up to the sound. They got closer, and looked down onto the battle field below. He saw a boy that looked similar to Riku but with colder, more narrow eyes and spikier hair and another boy with Dark Silver hair battling against each other. They were trading blows with their Kunai, The boy with the Dark Silver hair, pushed hard against the other boy. He managed to over-power the black haired boy and kicked him down. He jumped up his kunai pointing down. He stabbed the other boy, making Kakashi's eyes widen.

However he was revealed to be a substitution The real one came and activated his Sharingan the silver haired boy shut his eyes then landing on his feet and spinning on one of them slammed his airborne foot into the boy's jaw and knocked him down rolling across the ground as he pulled himself up and pulling out his kunai he felt a prick on the back of his neck.

"It's over," The black haired boy said he even had a hand on his arm which had been twisted around behind him. The boy glared hatefully at him. Kakashi then saw a man he recognized from several years ago.

"Well done Sasuke," he said as he walked out. Sasuke stood and bowed letting go of his opponent. "Kaizuki, you need a lot more training." Fugaku said walking off; the other soldiers didn't even really acknowledge him. Sasuke smirked at him making Kaizuki growl.

Kakashi went to leave but suddenly…. "Kirito!" Fugaku shouted acknowledging the man he was disguised as inside Kakashi was laughing nervously to himself with a twitching eye. He quickly dismissed Pakkun who gave him a nod. Then he turned calmly and jumped down. "I've been looking for you, where have you been?"

"Just doing some rounds," Kakashi said calmly.

"I see, good work, I want you to go help Raisuke with, 'helping' Sitka feel more comfortable." Fugaku replied. Kakashi could tell he meant something else entirely.

" _Does he want to brainwash Riku and Sitka?"_ Kakashi asked himself. " _And would he do this to the other Konoha Uchiha?"_

"Right, sir, I'm still getting used to these tunnels, where is this room again?" Kakashi asked quickly.

"You're not too far; go straight until you hit the first branching path then immediately turn left it's at the end." Fugaku replied.

"Right," Kakashi replied rushing off. Fugaku stared at his back his eyes narrowing.

"You gave us all a map of the area…" Sasuke muttered.

"You're exactly right, you and Kaizuki check on the prisoners, Yashiro follow him."

"Sir!" they all replied straightening up.

 **X X X**

"Finally!" Naruto stated stretching. He quickly took in the sunlight, as Kiki and Riku breathed the fresh air.

"How'd you know how to find your way out so fast?" Kiki asked Sitka.

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "You see I've been training myself to fight and move blind. So I've taught myself how to hear and smell wind and air."

"That's amazing bro!" Sitka stated.

"Why would you need to go through that trouble?" Naruto asked looking at him quizzically, "Your eyes seem fine to me," Naruto replied.

"Well…." Sitka began when they heard a shout.

 **X X X**

"They're gone!?" Sasuke shouted all he and Kaizuki had found, Raisuke inside instead, rubbing his head.

"What hap- wait I remember that brat cut his ropes and tricked me into thinking he was still tied up!" Raisuke shouted.

"They escaped?!" Kaizuki shouted, glaring as Saskue rushed away, he rushed through the tunnels using his Chakra too accelerate his speed then using his Sharingan to look for any Chakra that was just there, without moving, he found what he was looking for and bust open the door finding the real Kirito Uchiha bound and gagged. Sasuke quickly freed him he rushed out to warn the others about Kakashi.

" _If he was here, then who was that?!"_ Sasuke thought to himself, gritting his teeth in anger.

 **X X X**

"There you are!" Kaizuki said rushing at them throwing Shuriken, they gasped before anyone could react, Naruto jumped in front of them looking nervous but determined to pull this off.

" _This better work,_ _ **Wind Style Gale Palm jutsu!"**_ Naruto shouted clapping his hands and out came a bunch of wind that sent the Shuriken flying back. Kaizuki jumped up and landed down rushing at Naruto and knocking him off the cliff.

"Naruto!" Riku shouted grabbing his hands and started pulling him up. Kiki jumped in to help, Kaizuki rushed forward but Sitka pulled out his own kunai and blocked Kaizuki's blow. Sitka was pushing back as hard as he could. He twirled to block attacks as Kaizuki pulled out another Kunai to strike. He activated his own Sharingan to watch Kaizuki carefully. Kaizuki was like a flash trying to strike. But Sitka was predicting his every move.

"Look at them go…" Kiki muttered as the two clashed, almost blurring. However Sitka quickly found an opening and kicked Kazuki in the gut knocking him back. He hit the wall and growled. Sitka weaved hand signs for his own Gale palm; however shuriken rushed forward and cut his hands. He yelped and gripped his hand in pain as Sasuke appeared.

"There you all are." He said coldly and walked out.

"Get out of here, I had them!" Kaizuki shouted.

"I saw, the minute you were open he struck, you're not gonna fight a foe as fast as him." Sasuke replied. "The element of surprise is what's effective." He said disappearing.

"Where is he?" Naruto shouted looking around. He weaved hand signs again for another Gale Palm.

"Naruto no! Wind strengthens fire style jutsu, if you use that to try and block attacks you'll just end up making it stronger." Sitka warned as he looked around with his sharingan.

"Hey Kaizuki, why don't you make yourself useful, and go get father?" Sasuke's voice rang out mockingly to his comrade.

"Grrrrrr, you….you think you're perfect! Well you're not!" he said running off. Kiki and the others looked around.

Sitka looked around unsure where he would strike… suddenly Sasuke burst from the ground and landed a kick to Sitka's jaw knocking him back. He skid back and glared Sasuke was gone again. " _If I can't see him, I can't predict him."_ Sitka growled.

Riku and the others scanned the area, looking for any sign of him. Riku gasped and rushed past Sitka to the cliff above them. "There!" he shouted rushing forward. Kiki and Riku followed him.

They saw Sasuke smirking at him. Both he and Riku wove hand signs instantly, " _ **Fire Style Fire ball jutsu!"**_ Two large fire balls struck each other trying to push the other out of the way. Both weren't giving in, however Sasuke's pushed forward and hit all three, making them fall off the cliff. The three managed to pick themselves up after they hit the bottom.

"Ouch…" Naruto groaned.

Sasuke ran after them with apt skill. Riku growled and rushed up at him, the two started trading blows and running down the hill and clashing kunai, they pushed against each other then, each pulled out a second kunai and started clanging against each other.

"Get him Riku!" Naruto shouted as the two continued to fight.

Riku glared at him with his Sharingan as did Sasuke. However, Sasuke smirked and his eyes lit up, hitting Riku square in his own. He suddenly found himself confused finding nothing but fog. He could barely hear Kiki and Naruto call to him. As he did he felt a few hits knock him down onto the ground every time he stood up, it hit him again and again cuts in his arms burning infinitely more. He realized he was in a Sharingan Genjutsu.

"You've awakened the Sharingan and have barely any idea how to use it? I'm disappointed in you Riku." Sasuke muttered with a drawl filled with angst. He went to strike again but suddenly he felt something lightly tap his head and heard Sasuke get slammed back. Within seconds of regaining his senses Riku found himself back where he was and Sitka beside him. He had finally caught up.

"You're not very good yourself picking on a rookie." Sitka growled. "You and your little friend are Chunin level, and your fighting Genin, like that's fair."

Sasuke let out a dry laugh. "You should know Ninja don't play fair." He replied. He then sensed some Chakra appearing around them. "Speaking of which." He said jumping back up and the group found themselves surrounded by Rogue Uchiha doing hand signs.

" _ **Fire style, Fire ball jutsu!"**_ They all shouted together unleashing a huge burst fire that barreled towards them.

"Get behind me!" Sitka shouted pulling Riku towards Kiki and Naruto who had rushed over when he stopped Sasuke's attack.

"What are you gonna do!?" Naruto shouted.

"Sitka, Wind is weak to fire you said it yourself!" Riku shouted. Sitka didn't move, the three stared in fear as Sitka activated his Sharingan, the tomoe starting to spin, getting thicker until they connected and his left eye began to bleed. His eye now had a pattern like a small diamond shape with three lines connecting to it from the top and lower left and right.

" _ **Kagutsuchi!"**_ he shouted stopping the flames before they can even get close to them. They swirled in front of them. The three stared in awe, Naruto's jaw hanging lower than the other two his eyes as wide as saucers.

Sitka then used his eye to split the flames into fire balls that rushed at Sasuke and the Uchiha who launched the attack, forcing them to flee. All but one who jumped above it and landed before them as Sitka got to his knees, putting his hand over the eye that had just saved them.

"Sitka, are you okay?" Riku asked getting to his side and kneeling down.

"More or less, that was a lot of chakra I just used up." Sitka said panting.

"What was that?" Riku said in awe.

"Mangekyo…" Sitka breathed as he stood getting his breath back.

"Mangekwho?" Naruto asked.

"I'll explain once we get out of here." Sitka said.

"You mean _if_ you get out of here." Fugaku said making them turn to him.

"Damn it…" Sitka growled, even at full energy he had no chance against Fugaku, let alone as he was now.

"You four gave us quite the runaround but play time is over." Fugaku said going towards them. "You'll be coming with me."

There was suddenly a loud chirping sound; he turned his Sharingan predicting a deadly blow from a Rakiri making him jump away. Kakashi skidded to a stop, interposing himself between the Uchiha and his charges.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Kakashi growled.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Kiki cheered as the boys smiled brightly.

"So Kakashi of the Sharingan, I didn't expect you here." Fugaku said with a smirk.

"Neither did I, last I checked your half of the Uchiha clan was exiled from the village." Kakashi growled.

"You were correct. However, we've returned to take the village back! And destroy the traitors of our clan!" Fugaku proclaimed.

The kids gasped, as Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he began weaving hand signs. "So you'll be taking back my Sharingan then?" he growled.

"No, you'll die with it still in your skull. It was Obito's dying wish to leave it with you. But you will not be spared." He said his eyes transforming into his own Mangekyo Sharingan with three curved hooks with a ring at the base and dots cradled in each hook. " _ **Amaterasu!"**_ he shouted, sending a burst of black flames at him.

" _ **Earth Style Mudwall!"**_ Kakashi shouted slamming his hands down onto the ground creating a large wall with a Dog face on the front the Amaterasu slammed against it. Kakashi barely made it in time as the black flames began to eat away at the dog faced wall he'd created. He jumped around and charged Fugaku, a pair of kunai in his hands, but the Uchiha smirked as his Sharingan tracked Kakashi's movements. Fugaku's counterattack was quick and brutal, grabbing one of Kakashi's kunai and stabbing it into the jonin's neck, making the genin gasp.

However Kakashi seemed to melt with the area around him and glow instantly he turned into lightning which used the kunai as a conductor to zap Fugaku, who screamed in pain and panted, trying to shake the cobwebs out as steam rose from his body. Before he could react however Kakashi appeared from underground and landed a punch under Fugaku's chin. A fast follow up kick sent the Uchiha flying back a few feet. Fugaku managed to twist in the air to avoid a pair of shuriken from Kakashi, landing on his feet and skidding to a stop, he expertly replied with a pair of his own.

" _ **Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu,"**_ He shouted. The shuriken instantly multiplied into twenty. Kakashi managed to use the Sharingan to deflect them. However then came two fuma shuriken, the same Riku and Naruto used to free him back in the land of waves. Twisting in the air, Kakashi avoided the deadly spinning blades.

The two rushed at each other, trading kicks and punches, then with double kunai. Using their Sharingan to track each other's movements, Fugaku began smiling as his Sharingan changed back into his Mangekyo pattern, his right eye beginning to bleed. Sitka could see what he was doing.

"Kakashi don't look into his eyes, your Sharingan won't protect you from his Genjutsu!"Sitka shouted Kakashi gasped and shut his eyes quick enough that it didn't take effect. However Fugaku was able to send him flying with a powerful kick. Kakashi rolled against the ground but quickly got to his feet.

"Sitka, take them and go! I'll hold him off as long as I can. You all need to get back to the village as fast as you can. That means you Naruto!" Kakashi stated not looking back at them keeping his eyes on Fugaku as much as he could.

"But what about you?" Riku shouted.

"I'll be fine, hurry!" Kakashi shouted charging up another Raikiri.

He rushed at Fugaku with speed that no one could really see Fugaku managed to dodge but was grazed on his side he clutched his side in pain as blood skimmed the surface of his skin where a moderate scratch was.

" _I can't let that strike me."_ Fugaku growled as he skid backwards. He wove hand signs for a Shadow Clone Jutsu and rushed at Kakashi who jumped away. He wove his own hand signs at blinding speeds as they rushed at him they suddenly were shocked as the ground shook around them.

" _ **Earth Style, Earth Dragon jutsu!"**_ Kakashi shouted standing on the head of the beast as it rushed at Fugaku and his clones knocking them back into the wall the real one managed to hold his ground as the clones disappeared.

As Kakashi was in the air he saw a nearby lake and got an idea jumping towards it Fugaku pursued, he stopped when he lost track. Sitka and the others had made it to a hill over-looking the battle field they could see things clearly. Kakashi was standing weaving hand signs Fugaku suddenly heard a roar of water rush towards him. _**"Water Style Great Vortex Jutsu!"**_ He shouted as the huge whirlpool of water stormed forward in a rage breaking every tree in its path engulfing Fugaku. "He got him!" Kiki cheered as the boys let out a whoop fist pumping. However, a light shone from the water and out came a figure. It was an orange ethereal warrior clad in armor a sword in its right hand. Kakashi jumped to a tree top to see what had happened, his Sharingan scanning the ethereal warrior.

Inside the warrior's chest, blood streaking down his eye was Fugaku who glared coldly at Kakashi. "Congratulations you've forced me to get serious." He said coldly as a trio of beads appeared in its left hands. Kakashi barely dodged as the Uchiha hurled them . He quickly used a substitution Jutsu to get away from the giant hand rushing at him.

When things cleared Kiki and the boys gasped in absolute horror seeing the damage, then they saw the orange ethereal warrior

"Sitka….what is that….that…monster!?" Riku stared at it, fear filling him.

"It's the….Susanoo…." Sitka said sweating his eyes wide staring in horror. "It's an unstoppable force….not even a Jonin can stop it! KAKASHI RUN!" he shrieked as Kakashi barely heard him from the ground below. Kakashi tried to run but he found himself surrounded by a wall of Amaterasu.

"KAKASHI!" the kids shouted

" **Fire Style, Majestic Demolisher!** " Kiki and Naruto were almost in tears as Fugaku unleashing a powerful stream of fire that engulfed the entire area the black fire had fenced in. They screamed in horror but bursting through the flames was a blue light that cut through the fire jutsu, blocking it.

Kakashi groaned and found himself in a similar being he looked over and saw who had pulled him in. It was a woman with long black hair tied up in a ponytail. With sharp but elegant eyes, she wore a Konoha shinobi uniform with the crest of her clan on her back and collar.

"Thank you…Lady Isis," He muttered out of breath. She didn't say anything as her Susanoo materialized armor on top of the humanoid form she'd saved Kakashi with. Her Susanoo was light blue in color; its armor protected them from the flames as a shield materialized in its left arm, an orb and sword in its two right arms.

"So we meet again….Isis." Fugaku said.

"Fugaku…" Isis growled.

"Mom!?" Riku and Sitka shouted in awe at the same time.

Naruto gaped, "That's your mom!?" he said staring in shock and awe.

"Your sons aren't happy at the village, Isis." Fugaku said matter-of-factly.

"Spare me your crap Fugaku, you kidnapped my sons. And I don't take Kindly to that." She growled. Her own face was streaked with blood coming from her ebony eyes she didn't move them however.

"What about the village and what it does to them or any of our kind for that matter like vandalizing the graves of our fallen clansmen." Fugaku pointed out.

"Yeah" she said with a scoff. "No thanks to what you did."

"Things were always like this Isis, it only got worse over time." He argued.

"Your actions did nothing but affirm their fears, and caused everything to get worse!" she snapped, anger on both sides rising steadily.

"And what would standing by idly have done Isis?!" he asked glaring.

"We could've worked things out with the rest of the clans, Minato, and Hiruzen! But you made things worse!" Isis shouted.

"You're naively assuming they wouldn't have agreed with Danzo, and be willing to negotiate." Fugaku replied.

"Danzo isn't Hokage!" Isis growled.

"But he is the one that convinced Minato to undergo training and leave things in Hiruzen's care. And Heaven knows he bends over quite willingly for him and those two bags!" Fugaku snarled.

"Don't talk about the old man that way ya know!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"Naruto quiet!" Sitka hissed wanting to be as invisible as possible.

"The council is more than Danzo and those old bags, they would have listened! But you decided you knew best and that, we're better off getting killed in a pointless civil war!" Isis shouted.

"I WAS TRYING TO SAVE THE CLAN AND YOU DOOMED IT!" Fugaku shouted at the top of his lungs.

"SAVE THE CLAN!?" She roared as both her and Fugaku's Susanoo grew and expanded, becoming utterly massive, "YOU WOULD'VE LEAD OUR PEOPLE DOWN THE PATH OF DEATH AND RUIN YOU FAILED THEM!"

Isis' Susanoo becomes the shape of a massive female warrior; garbed in armored gauntlets that extended beyond the elbow, leaving its shoulder bare, a double layered cloth upper torso, a plated dress that covered most of the lower body, its hair flowing down around its waist, two locks of hair falling on either side of its face ending at its upper chest, an armored headband with a pentagram like gem in the center, a pair of wings spread from its back and a pair of sword handles protruding from them. Fugaku's materialized robes and armor, gaining tengu-like features, a sharp long nose, a jagged mouth made it look almost demonic, two locks of hair fall on each side of its face, and a pair of katana materializing in its secondary arms.

" _ **I**_ FAILED THEM!?" Fugaku roared clearly insulted the two ethereal warriors drew their swords and attacked, their blades coming together with such force, the kids and Sitka had to brace themselves from the shockwave. They stared, completely mesmerized as Isis and Fugaku took their fight to the sky, their jaws to the ground as the Susanoo slashed, stabbed, and even kicked out at each other. As the pair got close enough to look into each other's eyes, Isis saw the pattern of Fugaku and glared more harshly.

"You're eyes are different, who's eyes did you steal to get those Sharingan?"

Fugaku scoffed loudly. "As if I'd take eyes from one of you filthy traitors, they're my father's eyes. I held onto them until I needed them. And that time has come. Today's the day you fall!" He shouted as he commanded his Susanoo to swing both swords down on Isis' Susanoo. Riku gasped and covered his head as two swords, one light blue, the other orange spun and stabbed into the ground before disappearing. Fugaku's spread its wings and flew up as Isis threw many Yasaka Magatama beads at him, responding with his own and another Majestic Demolisher jutsu

"I will stand until you fall!" Fugaku growled but felt himself, falter suddenly. " _My Chakra…but…"_ he suddenly remembered his battle with Kakashi and mentally growled.

" _Looks like I managed to chip away enough of it, he's faltering, which means he's getting low on Chakra._ " Kakashi noted. Fugaku growled and used his Susanno to kick up a burst of dust and debris, hurling four Yasaka Magatama beads, aimed at the kids. They screamed and tried to run, only to find themselves covered by Isis' Susanoo, Fugaku's attack crashing into her wings. Isis turned; ready to tear Fugaku's head off, but he and his party were gone. She swore under her breath, growling, but turned her attention to the children.

"Are you alright?" she asked as her Susanoo faded and she dropped to the ground among them. Sitka nodded as Riku ran up and hugged her

"That was amazing mom!" he shouted, a smile came to Isis' face as she returned the hug

"I want one of those…" Naruto said weakly, too exhausted to show his excitement.

* * *

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_

* * *

 **Editor's Note:** _Yes, we are fully aware that the Mangekyo Sharingan doesn't exactly have set abilities and it will normally grant each user unique powers, save for Amaterasu, which both Sasuke and Itachi got in the main series. The only other exception being the Susanoo, but that's suspect at best since we had Tobi/Obito say during the Kage Summit that the Susanoo is rarely awakened by a Mangekyo user. I swear to god Kishimoto and his storytelling post Pain arc…. =_=;;_

 _So to keep things simple, and to spare ourselves some major headaches, we've decided that while the Mangekyo Sharingan is a rare power that not everyone awakens, we are going to keep its abilities limited to Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Kagutsuchi, and Susanoo (oh and controlling the Kyubi I suppose), with Kotoamatsukami being unique to Shisui's eyes, and Kakashi getting Kamui by training his Sharingan, as was established during the Kazekage Rescue arc, before it was retconned in the War arc. So an Uchiha with the Mangekyo can have either Tsukuyomi with Amaterasu, or Amaterasu with Kagutsuchi, or possibly Tsukuyomi with Kagutsuchi_

 _Also just to make it clear, we are completely omitting powers like Izanagi and Izanami. We are also making the Rinnegan completely separated from the Sharingan, so don't expect any of the characters here to awaken it, regardless of circumstances (spoiler I guess)_

 **Sincerely, Freelancer1989**


	16. Secret of the Coup

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up editing and some Characters by Freelancer1989_

* * *

 _ **The Secret of the Coup!**_

The return home seemed to take forever, both from exhaustion and being very uneventful. Kushina immediately grabbed Naruto into a death hug both angry that he ran off without her or any Jounin knowing and relieved that he was safe. Kiki's parents both ran up to her. Riku remembered them, Hiroshi and Chisasu Senju. Her father had brown hair and brown eyes and her skin color. Wearing a green tunic and black pants; Chisasu, had deep Fuchsia hair and Kiki's vibrant blue eyes and physically resembled her. They were hugging and kissing her. Riku just stuck close to his mom and Sitka.

"Riku, Sitka!" shouted a voice, running up was a tall man with a couple of swords on his back and glasses wearing a Chunin vest and a Black shirt and pants with the Uchiha crest on the collar.

"Dad!" Sitka said as he was glomped in a hug. Sitka could only hug back as he pulled Riku in as well.

"Thank Heavens you're alright!" He sighed as he hugged Isis. She and Kakashi looked at each other however, because there was no way around what they had to do next. Report the presence of Fugaku's return to Lord Hokage.

 **X X X**

Riku was walking by the Hokage tower, the Team had been given a few days off, and Sitka needed time to relax and recover. Suddenly he heard someone call him

"Riku pssstt!" Riku looked up at Kiki, who was ushering him up to where she was. Riku silently nodded and climbed up the side of the wall to the roof. Kiki then directed him towards the window where Hiruzen and the Jonin Council, including his mother, were over-looking a map of the Land of Fire and talking.

"They've already evacuated the abandoned mines they were using. To try and take Sitka and Riku," said Hiroshi.

"The Anbu and The Military Police force are searching as many of the Uchiha hideouts as possible. But many were made and used as bases during the last war. Not to mention ones made by Madara and his followers long ago and with Fugaku switching bases so quickly it will be difficult to find them." He said crossing his arms.

Suddenly there was the sound of a step and a small tap, coming towards them, was an old cold looking man with messy dark hair wearing a dark green robe using his cane to help him walk.

"Do you see what happens, when you allow a weed to grow? You get an infestation." He said sharply, looking directly at Isis.

"Good to see you as always Danzo," Isis growled sounding anything but welcoming.

"Good to see you too Isis," Danzo refuted in the same tone returning her glare,

"You're not needed here. I've already given the Anbu and the Military Police the locations of various hideouts. They're searching as we speak, all were doing is mapping out the next set to investigate." Isis curtly replied.

"I am aware, but if Root were still active…" he said only for Isis to quickly cut him off.

"You were already removed from action! And so were your Root Members!" Isis snapped sounding hostile than clearly intended and even bitter towards him.

"Now is hardly the Time or the place. What we need to do now is find Fugaku. For now I want all the Jonin Teachers to teach their students about countering Genjutsu. There's no telling when they'll attack again and Fugaku clearly isn't above taking hostages." Hiruzen said sternly.

Danzo stared for a minute but he merely nodded and left, "I'll be sure to spread the word." Isis muttered but glaring straight into Danzo's back as he disappeared out of sight.

Kiki was shaking a little with anger, glaring. "He just referred to the Uchiha as _nothing_ but weeds! How dare he!"

"That jerk!" Riku growled clenching his fist. Kiki sighed looking at the ground.

" _This isn't fair, he's blaming our Uchiha for what, those, Rogue Uchiha did!"_ she thought to herself.

"It's just like all the others…" Riku suddenly said.

"Riku?" Kiki asked as Riku was shaking.

"Ever since the Coup it's been nothing but this all the time!" He growled his fist tightening more. Kiki went to put a hand on his shoulder but he stood up and left.

"Riku wait!" she said rushing after him. "You shouldn't let what he said get to you!"

"I know that!" he barked more harshly than intended. Kiki stopped looking surprised by his tone.

"I'm sorry Kiki….I… _sigh_ I'm just tired of all this…" He muttered walking off by himself.

 **X X X**

Naruto was sleeping when someone knocked on his door. He groaned and sat up looking over at the door. "Come in…" he muttered drowsily rubbing his eyes.

"Naruto you need to get up ya know." Kushina said.

"But mom we got a few days off." Naruto whined.

"Well, I guess you don't want some more training then." she said playfully.

"Wait really?! More wind style!?" Naruto asked much more alert now.

"Yup," she gave him a wink.

"You got it!" he replied jumping up and quickly changing into his orange jumpsuit, and instantly rushed downstairs.

"Come on, lets go!" he shouted scarfing down as much pancakes as he could before choking, Kushina gasped and punched his back making him cough it up and swallow it properly.

"This is why you don't eat fast ya know!" Kushina scolded.

"Ye…yeah…" Naruto muttered laying his head on the table.

 **X X X**

Riku stopped by a lake that was in the middle of the forest and seemed to be a starting place for the Naka River before flowing out. He sighed, over-looking the lake. His mother had taught him the Fireball jutsu out here… that all seemed so long ago now… picking up a stone, he threw it into the water and sat down near the edge of the pier, pulling his legs close to his chest.

"Why, why can't they tell the difference?" Riku sighed to himself, "I just want things back to the way they were…."

He hated all this; it had been like this ever since that night… As he stared at the water, he saw that his Sharingan were active in his reflection. The sound of footsteps from behind made him close his eyes.

"Go away" he said to the newcomer, not even bothering to turn around

"I knew you'd be here," Sitka said. "Kiki got caught by the way. You guys were spying on the Jonin council."

"You gonna tell mom?" Riku grumbled.

"She knows, she's the one who caught Kiki." Sitka replied simply.

Riku opened his eyes, they had returned to normal as his brother sat near him

"Things are hard but we've just gotta stay strong" Sitka said in that big brother voice, "And not nearly as many people blame us this time."

"You're not the one getting beat up by Kala all the time..." Riku retorted.

"Riku…." Sitka muttered sadly. "I'd punch him out if I could, but it wouldn't help"

"I know," Riku said looking at the water again. "He's such a jerk….and so are the others," He sighed. "They treat us like garbage, and I always get those looks from people, that look that says 'go away, we don't want you around.'"

"So do we but we'll face it together as a family, and we have friends on our side who know us for our hearts" Sitka assured him as he put an arm around his little brother

"All those people, people like Kiki, Naruto, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Yoshi, Nika, Kiba," Riku trailed off as Sitka pulled him in for a hug. Riku leaned in to hug Sitka.

"It'll be okay" Sitka promised

"There you two are!" Isis called as she, Itachi and Kiki came up with a tall husky, with black and white fur. She came over and hugged Riku tight, a couple of tears touching her shoulder.

"It'll be alright, I promise." She sighed, holding him close giving him a kiss on his forehead.

The dog, named Shiro, came over and licked Sitka's hand. He patted the dog's head in response.

"How did this happen?" Kiki asked.

"It's a long story," Itachi replied.

"Let's find somewhere more comfortable to talk about this." Isis replied as they left the lake heading back to their house.

 **X X X**

"The jutsu I'm going to teach you is a sealing jutsu that disrupts the flow of chakra and prevents one from channeling it through or into a target" Kushina explained, "Ya know how you can walk up trees thanks to chakra control?"

"Yeah" Naruto said, tilting his head slightly to the side

"Any object this sealing jutsu is placed on, you won't be able to use chakra on" Kushina explained, "If I were to cast it on this tree over here, ya couldn't walk up it or stick to it with chakra control until I removed the seal. The trick is getting the seal completed"

Naruto nodded, in understanding. Kushina demonstrated the signs, and even used the jutsu on a nearby tree. Naruto watched in awe as a seal etched itself into the bark, immediately he mimicked his mother's hand seals, paying close attention to the signs and the order of sequence.

"And remember you need to charge chakra into your hands like this." she replied, letting Chakra run over her hands. Naruto nodded and focused trying to get Chakra onto his hands he did so and did the Hand signs.

" _ **Sealing Art! Chakra Disruption Jutsu!"**_ He shouted placing his hand on the ground only for a small explosion. He coughed a little.

"That's okay, small explosions are normal ya know…" Kushina giggled in embarrassment.

"You could've told me that sooner ya know!" Naruto barked.

 **X X X**

Isis had placed her own tea down as she sat everyone else set up with their own tea her Ninja hound sleeping at their feet. Isis finally began.

"As you know over a hundred years ago, Madara Uchiha tried to destroy the village by controlling the Nine Tailed fox. Fortunately he was stopped by Hashirama Senju."

"That's right," Kiki said proudly.

"Why though?" Riku asked.

"Madara felt that the clan was being suppressed by the village under the Senju rule. He tried to tell the rest of the clan this as well, but they didn't listen to him. They were tired of fighting with the Senju and saw him trying to dredge up old wounds" Itachi explained, " He may have felt that the losses he'd suffered in the war were now wasted, like his younger brother. Yet despite the rest of the clan turning their backs on him, Madara still sought to destroy the Senju Clan. He wanted to lash out against them and any who would try to stop him to raise the Uchiha clan to the height of power he felt it deserved. No longer under the thumb of the Senju, or anyone"

"So what does this have to do with Fugaku?" Riku asked.

"Well, it seems Madara's words didn't completely fall on deaf ears, a small group of Uchiha heard Madara's words and left the village, intending to finish his work" Isis answered

"What happened to Madara?" Riku picked up his cup

"No one truly knows…" Isis looked towards the window, "Legends say that Hashirama defeated and ultimately killed him after restraining the Kyubi and fighting Madara for an entire day. But the details are unknown, Hashirama was the only witness to this titanic struggle, and he never told anyone exactly what happened…. Or where he left the body of Madara Uchiha…"

"What do you mean?" Kiki asked, not sure what Isis means

"As I said, no one knows what happened in the battle or in the immediate aftermath" Isis returned her gaze to the children, "Hashirama ultimately won and returned the Kyubi to Konoha… but what happened to Madara's dead body is a mystery even to this day. Many have looked, but none have ever found his resting place"

"I see…" Kiki almost whispered

"There is a legend… that Hashirama took Madara's body and entombed it within a great tree he created, but if it does exist, no one has ever found it. Hashirama took that knowledge to his grave"

"Getting back to those who chased after Madara's ideals" Itachi took over for Isis, "They left Konoha and started a group of fanatics"

"Thirteen years ago, just after you were born Riku, those damned fanatics infiltrated the village, kidnapped Kushina, and released the Kyubi" Isis said as she remembered that terrible night, those burning red eyes, orange fur, and deafening roar

"Minato fought bravely, as did Lord Third, the ANBU, and many other shinobi, and a lot of people died that night, but they succeeded in containing the Kyubi and dealing with the fanatics who caused all this. But….the Uchiha were forbidden by Danzo and the elders to engage the Fox and to instead evacuate the citizens. After that, the village saw us as cowards who hid during the attack. The Council started stripping away power from the Military police force and giving it to the ANBU. And on top of that, the council fenced the clan away in a small corner of the village away from everyone." She finished.

"And no one could do anything?" Kiki asked sadly.

"The council overruled the Jonin council and while my father was on the council it was in name only." Itachi replied. "He was also over looked for Hokage, but he stayed neutral for a long time, when the last of the Police's power was finally stripped away-" Itachi was about to say more, but Riku interrupted

"What about you, mom?" Riku looked to her, "Couldn't you have done something with your Susanoo?"

"I couldn't…" she replied, she seemed lost in dark memories, "I had just given birth and was still bedridden… On top of that, one of the Kyubi's tails struck the hospital we were all at and I had to use Susanoo to keep the building from crushing you, me, your brother, and your father" Riku walked over and hugged his mother as Itachi took over once again

"Unfortunately things didn't get better from then on. Despite the guilty party being dealt with, many still blamed the Uchiha has a whole for the actions of a few. My father didn't take kindly to any of this, especially after the clan was moved into a far corner of the village after the Kyubi attack. After a failed negotiation with the Fourth Hokage before his training journey, my father finally joined the side that wanted to rebel. His hatred for the village came full force when he learned the truth of a terrible plan a final resort to squash the rebellion and prevent a civil war from breaking out."

"What plan?" Kiki asked timidly afraid of the answer.

Isis sighed taking a breath; they looked at her pressingly wanting to know, she relented and slowly spoke. "To Slaughter the entire Uchiha Clan," Sitka and the other two gasped in horror. Kiki looked at them horrified. "Don't worry, it didn't happen and wont." Isis said trying to calm them. "Danzo was the who suggested the plan in the first place is off the council, but the Hokage refused it. Itachi and I approached the council and told them what was going on with the coup, and when it got past the point of no return… we approached the council and told them that those of us who still believed in the village would stand with them against the rogue Uchiha… all I asked was that they get the children and civilians out of the life of fire."

"I remember… Sitka and I spent the night in one of the safe houses and the next day…" Riku looked into his mother's face

"Half the Clan was gone," Sitka sighed

 **X X X**

There were a few small craters in the ground, but Naruto and Kushina weren't giving up till he mastered the Jutsu, he had gotten very close. He would get it soon he felt it Naruto did the hand signs again.

" _ **Sealing Art! Chakra disruption!"**_ Naruto shouted, placing his hand down. He grinned at his success.

"You did it Believe it!" Kushina cheered hugging him.

"Yeah I did!" Naruto cheered. "Hey mom did you ever prank anyone with this jutsu?"

"I may have once or twice with some guy who kept pissing me off" Kushina chuckled from the memory of watching him fall on his face when he tried to hang upside down from a branch, or when he tried to walk across water after she'd placed it on his shoes.

"Nice one mom" Naruto laughed hard

"Okay now let's learn some more wind style and work on your Gale palm." She said.

"You got it!" Naruto declared.

 **X X X**

"Many people lost their lives that night, a lot of them Hyuga Clan members. There has always been a deep rivalry between the Hyuga and Uchiha over our different dojutsu, but their losses the night of the coup caused relations between us to sour even further." Isis stood up and excused herself. "With Fugaku gone, Lord third named me leader of the Clan."

"They needed your strength going forward." Ryuto said, making his presence known to show he had been listening to whole time. Something else the two noticed was that Isis had sounded more and more depressed reliving the tale.

"Going against her clan was the hardest thing your mother ever had to do, it was hard for a lot of Uchiha to kill each other," Ryuto said sadly.

"I'm sure it was for a lot of the village too," Kiki added.

"Yes…" Ryuto sighed sadly, "After Fugaku and his followers were driven out of the village, Lord Third made her the head of the Konoha Uchiha Clan, saying they needed her strength going forward." Ryuto looked over at Isis, who leapt onto the opposing roof and pulled her knees up to her chest, "It's been hard on her most of all, but she's managed to keep us all together… your mother is the strongest woman I've ever met"

"Yeah, she is…" Riku muttered thoughtfully.

 **X X X**

Naruto laid on the ground exhausted, he mastered Gale palm and the Chakra disruption seal. Kushina was showing him the Wind style: Breakthrough jutsu. "I'm done" Naruto sighed.

"Okay I think that is enough for today, let's go get some Ramen at Icharaku, ya know." Kushina said happily proud of his work.

"Icharaku!?" Naruto asked sitting up quickly. "YES! LET'S GO!" Naruto cheered. Kushina suddenly noticed a Hyuga girl with a gray jacket, pale lavender eyes, and dark blue hair with a bright sheen watching, when Kushina noticed she gasped and quickly ran off. Kushina pieced together some things in her mind and smiled knowingly.

Soon the two were back in town, walking down the street; Riku and Kiki were passing them. "Naruto there you are where you've been all day?!" Riku tried keeping up a smile.

"Been training, Sasuke's not gonna beat us next time!" He stated slamming his fist into his palm.

"Hey Riku, Kiki, why don't you come with us to Ichiraku," Kushina offered.

"Really?" The two asked looking between each other before smiling and nodding.

"Thank you, Lady Kushina!" Kiki cheered.

"Yeah thank you!" Riku said gratefully.

The four headed off, the food stand in sight and soon they were eating Ramen. As they ate Kiki noticed a small order of Octopus balls placed by her bowl.

"Uh thank you," She said looking up at the Ramen Man.

"No problem it's on the house, Miss Senju." Kiki smiled nervously and took them placing them in a bag. Kushina paid the bill and at Kiki's request put in extra for the Octopus balls and the group started heading down the road.

As they did a bunch of people saw Kiki and started to surround her. She looked guilty and nervous.

"I hate this kind of attention." Naruto muttered his eyes squinted.

"She usually doesn't mind it, but somethings wrong." Riku muttered.

"Princess Kiki!" said a villager.

"How are you Princess?" another asked. They all started blubbering about how she was related to Heroes such as Hashirama and Tobirama, and how she'd be a great Konouichi, she started to look guilty thinking about what was said by Fugaku and what a couple of Villagers and what they were told to them.

"STOP IT!" she shouted, slamming her hands together and causing roots to burst out of the ground. Everyone quickly backed away as she quickly ran off.

"Kiki!" Riku shouted trying to rush after her but getting stuck in the crowd. Kushina and Naruto following as best they could, trying not to get swept up in the crowd. Kiki leaned against a pole, catching her breath as she looked up at the Hokage Monument. Anger filled her as the thought of anyone suggesting killing an entire clan like that, much less to someone she considered a friend. Kiki headed for the offices, she was about to give Danzo a piece of her mind.

* * *

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	17. The Legacy of Tobirama

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up some Characters and idea belong to Freelancer1989 special thanks to him for Editing_

* * *

 _ **The Legacy of Tobirama**_

Kiki ran as fast as she could towards the Hokage Monument, she had lost Riku and the others behind her. The building got closer she made her way in and looked around panting to catch her breath. It was a warm building with various pictures on the wall and a red carpet leading up to the office. She had been there a couple times before when she was little, being shown around where her Great Grandfather and Uncle worked. She had even come here to complete the graduation test.

Now she was here to confront the former Elder. She looked around and heard the sound of a step followed by a light tap she spotted him across the hall. She turned and rushed to the sound getting in front of Danzo. "Stop!" she yelled fully catching his attention.

"Well, the little Senju girl." He said with a dull tone. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I don't have time for you today." He said turning to leave but Kiki merely got in front of him again.

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to make time!" she stated firmly. "I've got a bone to pick with you! You suggested, to slaughter the entire Uchiha clan; how could anyone think of something so horrible?!"

Danzo let out a bitter sighed and glanced to the side with his one good eye. "I should've guessed that _woman_ would say something." He said regarding Isis like some kind of filthy tramp. "We were on the verge of Civil War and simply talking it out wasn't an option. Konoha wouldn't be safe with such a dangerous clan of dissidents remaining."

Kiki glared, she had spent a lot of time around the Uchiha and had met several thanks to her friendship with Riku, none of them ever acted like that. She thought back to Itachi's and Isis' story. "Maybe they _dissented_ in the first place because they were treated so unfairly! Did you ever think that?! You tell them not to help and then you treat them like they all did it! When it was a bunch of Uchiha that had nothing to do with our village!" she snapped.

"Uchiha had betrayed the village, attacked lady Kushina and unleashed the Kyubi. We had no way of knowing who was in on it and who wasn't." Danzo replied.

"Not ours! It was a bunch that left years ago or their kids! You can't lump all of them together! And how could you not know when they were dealt with?!" Kiki shouted.

"Do you know how many left long ago? How many are still alive whether or not they'd be able to procreate?" Danzo asked.

"No but I-"Kiki started but Danzo cut her off.

"Can you tell the difference between a civilian and a terrorist?" he asked looking right into her.

"That's not the point!" Kiki shouted but he ignored her.

"Do you have any idea what utter chaos it was that night?" Danzo asked.

"I've heard maybe if you let Fugaku help or any of the Uchiha help it would've been much shorter!" Kiki argued.

"Or they simply could've made things worse." Danzo rebutted.

"I've actually gotten to know some of them!" Kiki shouted firmly.

"And I've fought two wars with them, you think you know them girl?" he asked with a growl, "you're young, naïve, and still haven't seen the real world." He said in a blunt tone.

"It's still not right!" Kiki shouted.

"The world of Shinobi isn't fair girl. It's cruel, cold and unforgiving." Danzo replied simply. "Is it right that children younger than you had to become soldiers only to die on their first missions?"

"No…" Kiki said wavering.

"Is it right that war always break out even after our lord Hashirama begged and bargained to give the other nations tailed beasts?" Danzo asked bitterly. "Is it right that so many had their families violently torn apart?"

Kiki looked down but regained some courage. "My great Grandfather and Uncle would never allow the idea of slaughtering an entire clan. Doing it would be just as horrible," she argued.

Danzo smirked at this. "Are you sure about that?" he asked prideful at the memories.

"What do you mean?" Kiki inquired.

"I fought with the Second Hokage, he would do anything to secure the future of his people, and wasn't as kind and gentle as lord first. Often we are forced to do things many would consider cruel or wrong to secure a future where our children can live. Lord Second understood this. He lived through the warring states period and witnessed far worse than you or I could imagine." He said.

Kiki hung her head. "You would have killed innocent Uchiha, Uchiha who actually believe in the village!"

Danzo scoffed, "Innocent? Do you know how quick so many were to turn on Konoha because of Madara's ideals? How many of them believed he was right?" he asked mockingly.

"Not as many as you think!" Kiki argued back but she was losing.

"One voice can move the many." Danzo said simply. "And once a malignancy takes hold, it's impossible to get rid of it completely."

Kiki didn't know what 'malignancy' meant but she stood firm, unwilling to concede just yet. "That doesn't change the fact that they're all not like that! If a Senju as bad as Madara came along would you want my clan dead too or would it only ever be the Uchiha because of Madara?!" she accused.

Danzo glared she glared back there was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "You're not cut out for this girl." He said bluntly. "You're not prepared to make the hard choices. The sacrifices to keep your homeland safe, Lord Second was and did. Not everything is going to have a happy ending like your trip to the Land of Waves. Imagine if one or all of you had been killed, because you couldn't make a choice that could have saved the mission."

Kiki thought about this, what Haku meant was ringing in her ears alongside this. She backed up a little and looked away.

"You're too soft, much like Lord First, you don't have what it takes to make these decisions. Indecision leads to disaster. And the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. But you'd sacrifice all that just on some childish beliefs," he finished.

Kiki didn't know how to feel about that, he had just slammed down her and Hashirama in one fell swoop, not to mention she couldn't continue arguing or defending her friend's clan. Glaring she ran off.

"Hmph," Danzo said in response and made his way down the hall and tapped the door with his cane it opened and he went down deep down a stair case he and Hiruzen had made for the Foundation long ago. As he followed the tunnel and made it to the center a ninja with a mask resembling a hawk appeared.

"Lord Danzo, the man sent from Otogakure has arrived," he said, Danzo thought about this as many of his men wearing fearsome masks gathered around as if to protect him.

"Very well, send him in." Danzo replied, the ninja nodded and disappeared and within minutes Danzo focused on footsteps. They were coming towards him but stopped before entering the light; that only seemed to catch on something he wore on his face.

"Lord Danzo, long time." said a voice that sounded young enough to belong to someone around Sitka or Itachi's age. He had the same build too. Danzo knew that from memory, but the average onlooker couldn't see in the dark and he had something that cut through it. However from what the ninja could see as they watched him, carefully was just a figure in the Darkness visible only by two round orbs side by side catching the light in a glare

"It has," Danzo replied simply as they began to talk.

 **X X X**

"Damn it!" Kaizuki growled punching the wall, Sasuke sighed just leaning against it. "How can you be so calm about this, we lost those brats! We had leverage against the leaf Village and two more recruits and you're Father-" Sasuke silenced him with a kunai against his throat.

"Do **not** insult my father." Sasuke growled. Kaizuki backed off. Among the young Uchiha was one with black hair squinted eyes and a large build. There was another, Inabi's son who had long black greasy hair like him.

There was a boy with a tall sullen face and bright brown hair that if let grown it would cover his left eye. Another boy had long greenish black hair that curved into an 'M' around his face with a tightly tied braid at the back. He was wearing a black outfit with the Uchiha crest on the back as opposed to the others who had been wearing blue with battle wrappings, a third that looked big muscular and sort of dumb with long brown hair hanging from his head.

"The adults are working on something right now, so what do we do?" the green haired one asked.

"Nothing for now," Sasuke said getting up and going away.

"Uh hey Sasuke!" the sullen one called out. Sasuke ignored him and went forward. The new Uchiha hideout was above ground. It was on a tall carved mountain with endless forests for those who would go on foot. There were elevators in the two sides that would allow one quick entry. Surrounding it was a couple of mountains similar to it but the tallest one had a large building on top. It was impossible to get to without the Sharingan.

It was in the south close to the Land of Ashes and Hoohgakure, a.k.a the Hidden Phoenix village, their current home. His father had named it as a way to encourage the outcasts that they would rise again as would the clan's honor from the ashes.

There was a main room where Fugaku had gathered the others he took with him on this mission. "The Jinchuriki, are you serious?" Yashiro said both excited and in disbelief.

"This might be our only chance, if we're to take the village in Minato's absence it needs to be now but the difficult thing will be capturing Lady Kushina." Fugaku replied.

Sasuke listened as he went on. He mentioned various obstacles and how the village most likely beefed security since they grabbed Sitka. He looked at the ground and decided this is was they were training for. And for his brother he would bring down the Leaf Village. He growled as he made his way to his room leaving a note and packing when he was done he headed to the leaf village. He would map out the village and get all data on its security and then he would return and capture the Ninetails.

 **X X X**

Elsewhere in a forested area within Konoha, Kiki sat back against a tree, hugging her knees to her chest, and cried into them. After what seemed like forever, she started to hear a puppy barking, but as she began to stand up, a familiar looking puppy appeared and leaped at her. Surprised, Kiki managed to catch the puppy, who looked up at her with a happy expression. It was Kida, a white and gray husky with some wolf in her, she was Riku's puppy. Panting and happily wagging her tail, Kida jumped up and licked Kiki's cheek, seemingly happy to have found her.

"Kida," Kiki giggled as the puppy gave her another lick. "Where'd you come from?" Kida leapt out of her arms and stood back the way she came barking louder. Kiki looked to see Riku coming towards her, "Riku?"

"Kiki," he said as Kida ran up to him. He gave her a pat on the head as she barked happily. "You found her, good girl Kida."

"Raf!" she happily replied.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Riku asked. Kiki sighed and explained what had happened between her and Danzo.

"That jerk," Riku growled, Kiki could see his fist tighten and hear the anger in her voice.

"I know but I couldn't argue back I just..." She growled clenching her fist, "I know I'm right, it was wrong and none of the Uchiha here would ever do that!"

"No wonder mom told me and Sitka to stay away from him." Riku said.

"My Dad too, but hearing about that plan I just got so angry…I just," Kiki sighed, trailing off.

"Is that why you stormed off when those people came up to you like that?" Riku asked.

"Sort of, I've had that attention my whole life, but I never thought much about it. Now knowing how your clan is treated, that you were treated like criminals and then, all going to be executed for the actions of a few…..It feels gross to have it." Kiki sighed. "It's not fair the Senju are regarded so highly when yours are treated like garbage it's not fair you helped save the village from Fugaku and I'm sure you've done other things too and if Danzo's fought with them in the war shouldn't he have met a few loyal Uchiha?"

Kida made a sad sound, rubbing against Kiki; Kiki picked her up and hugged her. Riku then put his hand on her shoulder. "I don't care what Danzo says and you shouldn't either, you're going to be a great Shinobi like your Great Grandfather."

"Yeah, thank you Riku," she replied wiping her eyes.

"And he can say what he wants but it doesn't change what the Hokage decides." Riku added.

"Right," Kiki agreed, "Good thing too."

"You gonna be okay?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I feel much better," Kiki said with a smile. She giggled, "Thanks." she hugged him, he returned the hug, between them Kida yipped happily, jumping out of Kiki's other arm and wagging her tail as she looks at the two hugging.

Suddenly an explosion rang out. "What was that?" Riku said as they broke apart.

"Let's go see!" Kiki said as they ran towards where a tool supply looked like it had been blown up. A couple of other ANBU were there as a couple of Chunin were yelling at one. Iruka was there too.

"What happened?" Riku asked.

"The explosion tags in the storage went off, no one knows how." Iruka explains.

"I can get my mom and lady Inuzuka and she'll send a few people!" Riku offered.

"Sure you do that." Iruka said as the kids ran to find Isis or Inuzuka. However before they could get there, Kida suddenly started barking and growled at someone sneaking around. Kiki and Riku stopped and looked at Kida, her fur standing up, her teeth bared; suddenly she took off after a cloaked figure.

"Kida!" Riku shouted as he ran after her, Kiki followed him. Kida managed to get in front of someone in a cloak and barked growling trying to look fierce. The stranger kicked dirt in her eyes making her yelp and try to rub her eyes. Riku gasped and picked her up and Kiki helped flush out her eyes. Whoever it was disappeared. Kida jumped out of Riku's arms and after shaking the water off her face, started to sniff the air, and with a growl, rushed after the scent. The two kids followed her, ending up in a cross road.

"Kida, what you smell girl?" Riku called. She sniffed around and looked everywhere. No matter what she did she couldn't pick up the scent again and lowered her tail, letting out a sad whimper. Riku came over and picked her up.

"We have to tell the Hokage," Kiki said, "and Kakashi sensei too."

"Yeah," Riku said as the cloaked figure watched from a distance. "You did a good job Kida, good girl" he smiled, petting the puppy.

The two raced off as fast as they could back to the Hokage Tower. This time instead of looking for someone they headed straight up towards the Hokage's office. Kiki raced in almost breaking the door down.

"Lord Third!" she cried out.

"Hmm what is it?" He asked looking up.

"We think someone snuck into the village. There was an explosion and we saw someone in a cloak run away. We chased him, but he got away." Riku reported.

"I see, I'll send ANBU to investigate." Hiruzen replied, "In the meantime, you kids should find your parents and stay close to them."

"Yes sir!" They replied as they raced off. As they headed through the village, Riku saw his mother walking with Hiroshi, Kiki's father. As the pair seemed to be having a chat, the kids ran up to them and explained what happened. Isis was shocked at hearing about an explosion.

"Are you both alright?" Isis began looking her son over for any injuries.

"We're fine; we weren't near the explosion when it went off." Kiki assured.

"The Hokage told us to come find you guys and stay close" Riku said as Isis pulled him into a quick hug.

"Can we go home dad?" Kiki spoke up.

"Of course Kiki" Hiroshi nodded as Isis formed a shadow clone

"I'll go talk to Iruka and see if I can organize a search" the Isis clone said.

"Alright, let's get ho-" the real Isis began, only for Kida to start barking and growling.

"What's wrong girl?" Riku asked as the puppy in his arms tried to get loose, "Ya smell something?"

The snarling menace of a much larger dog filled their ears as a large adult wolf chased down a cloaked figure and snagged a hold of its cloak. Isis recognized it immediately, the black fur and white underbelly, the missing left ear, and most especially the eyepatch on the right eye.

"Kuromaru?!" Isis gasped as the big male tore a section of cloak off before getting in front of his prey, his fangs bared and hair standing on end.

" _ **Tunneling Fang!"**_ a voice shouted as a spinning drill slammed the cloaked figure into the ground from above

"What the heck was that?!" Riku shouted in surprise, covering Kida from the impact. Hiroshi quickly raised a wood wall to shield the party. Lowering the wall, they saw a woman in Konoha attire on all fours like her canine companion, growling like a beast that had cornered its prey. And yes, she was very much a beast… Tsume Inuzuka. She wasn't head of the Inuzuka clan, but she was easily one of its more well known members. She was an excellent tracker and master of her clan's fighting style, and more over was tough and with a deep care for her clan and the village.

"Finally found you…" Tsume said with obvious satisfaction as she glared at the figure who'd managed to barely evade her attack. Riku's jaw dropped as the dust cleared and he saw who it was

"Sasuke?!" Kiki gasped, he quickly made a run for it

"Both of you get these kids outta here!" Tsume snarled with a smirk, "This prey is mine!" she and Kuromaru took after him without hesitation. Isis and Hiroshi did just that as her clone ran to get more of the Konoha police, or any Jonin for that matter.

 **X X X**

"Damn that woman!" Sasuke curse as she and her dog stayed on him. He knew the Inuzuka were close combat specialists with enhanced speed, strength, and agility. If he tried taking her in her arena, she'd easily overpower him, so his best bet was to try and take her at range, or at least slow her down until he could get to the wall and escape.

"Let's get him Kudomaru" Tsume narrowed her eyes as they evaded a Fireball, _**"Fang Over Fang!"**_

Sasuke leaped as the two spun like drills and tore through the branches Sasuke tried to hide behind. Grunting as a piece of bark bit into his leg, the colab taijutsu tore through the area, felling many trees. Sasuke drew his kunai and a handful of shuriken in his other hand.

" _ **Man Beast Clone!"**_

Triggering his Sharingan and hurling the shuriken in the direction the voice came from, Sasuke saw several Tsumes, they were basic clones. Slashing at the clones, they disappeared in a puff of smoke before he hit them. Another Tsume, this one real leaped through the smoke and slashed at him with her claw-like nails. Twisting and dodging by an inch, Sasuke lashed out with a punch. Tsume rolled and landed on all fours, avoiding another shuriken, only to change back into Kuromaru. At Sasuke's feet, a flash bomb hit the ground and blinded the area in light. Cursing, Sasuke covered his eyes and jumped… only for the real Tsume to attack and slash him across the face with her claws, Sasuke screamed as blood seeped from four cuts on his cheek. Grabbing onto Sasuke, Tsume used another Tunneling Fang and smashed Sasuke into the ground. Pinning him down, the jonin raised her right claw for another strike, and Kuromaru stands ready to bite the young Uchiha's head off.

"I've got you now…!" Tsume smirks, a hunter having finally caught her prey, "You're coming with me. We got a lot of questions to ask you." Sasuke immediately tried to put her in a genjutsu, but she resisted and Kuromaru snaps at Sasuke, biting his arm hard.

Someone's scent caught their attention and both looked only to immediately be hit with smoke bombs. Immediately Kuromaru let go of Sasuke's arm and snarled in the direction of the scent, only for a spectral orange hand to smack the dog away.

"Kuromaru-Dah!" Tsume shouted only to be punched and sent crashing into a downed tree.

Sasuke could see an orange light with a skeletal hand coming off it before he passed out. Tsume pushed herself upright, trying to get air back into her lungs, and shaking herself back to her senses. Immediately going to her companion, who growled and picked himself up, but his front left leg seemed hurt. Wincing from a pain in her lower back, Tsume enhanced her sense of smell, but the scent was gone… as were Sasuke and his mysterious rescuer. Swearing under her breath, the jonin and her companion were found by a team of Konoha shinobi.

 **X X X**

Hiroshi opened the attic to find his daughter sitting next to an opened box, an old journal in her hand. She'd always loved digging though the attic, always finding old scrolls or belongings of her great grandfather. Kiki had even found one Hashirama himself had written about wood style that she'd taken and spent a solid week looking over before trying herself. But an aura of depression surrounded her as her hair hung low, her hair covered her face.

"What's wrong Kiki….?" Hiroshi asked as he gently took the book from her, he saw a passage written by Tobirama.

"He broke his promise…" Kiki said in a small voice, "Great Grandpa asked him to do one thing and he couldn't do it… he isolated them, kept them away from the rest of the village…" she sniffled, "The Senju are always treated like heroes but now… I feel so…" Hiroshi sat down next to her, putting his arm around her

"Kiki… you need to understand…" Hiroshi pulled his daughter close to him, "You're great grandpa and great grand uncle were from a very different time… the warring states period was the most violent and horrible time to live in, much less grow up in." she looked up at her father as he brushed her hair from her face, "It was a time of constant fighting and death, loyalties rested with the highest bidder, children younger than you were forced to fight, and the average shinobi was lucky if they lived to thirty years old… Hashirama and Tobirama were just kids when they had to fight for their lives like their father, and they lost their brothers Itama and Kawarama when they were just ten and seven years old. It was in this time that the rivalry between our clan and the Uchiha clan, whenever one nation would hire a clan, the enemy would hire the other. Both the Senju and Uchiha battled each other so many times and the hatred burned hot between them, Itama and Kawarama were both killed by the Uchiha."

"What were they fighting over…?" Kiki asked as she listened

"I don't think anyone remembers why the fighting even started. Many Senju lost loved ones to an Uchiha during this time, and vice versa, and your great grandpa and grand uncle were no exception to this. And given how violent warzones can be, I can't imagine what other horrible things they may have seen or been forced to do themselves…" Hiroshi put the journal down, "Hashirama may had been able to make friends with Madara, even coming together to end the fighting and creating Konoha itself… Tobirama wasn't as forgiving after fighting for so long and losing so much. The war had turned him into a composed, pragmatic, stern, and blunt man, and his experiences with Madara affected his judgement."

"Would he have really ordered the extermination of the Uchiha…?" Hiroshi looked at his daughter, spotting a tear sliding down her face

"Kiki, what's really going on? Why, this sudden interest in Tobirama?"

With a sigh, she told her father what had happened with Danzo and what he'd said to her. Hiroshi silently cursed. Kiki apologized for not staying away from him like he'd told her to. He shouldn't have been surprised; this was his little girl after all. She'd gone out of her way to help Riku when he was being bullied, even before they'd become friends.

"I'll have some words with Danzo later" Hiroshi promised himself before giving Kiki a kiss on the top of her head, "I don't know what Tobirama would have actually done, and neither does Danzo. Tobirama always did what he thought would secure the safety and future of his people, and that includes the whole of Konoha. Even in his last moments, he tried to pass on a lesson to those under his care."

"I understand…" Kiki leaned her head against his chest, "I still don't like how he treated the Uchiha… it's not right, we shouldn't let the past determine how we treat others." Hiroshi gave her a smile

"You're so much like your great grandfather, you've got the same kindheart that he had, and the same willingness to forgive" he hugged her, "You're absolutely right Kiki" she smiled back and wrapper her arms around him

 **X X X**

Inside the Hidden Phoenix, after Sasuke was treated for his injuries, Fugaku slapped Sasuke so hard he crashed to the ground. "What the hell were you thinking!? You could've been captured or worse!" he shouted.

"I was going to find a way to get into the Village and capture the Jinchuriki." Sasuke said simply holding his cheek.

"We were planning how to do that, and you go off trying to do that yourself instead of waiting for orders or more experienced Ninja to accomplish that?!" Fugaku growled.

"It wasn't for nothing!" Sasuke protested.

"Oh really, what did you find out?" Fugaku asked hotly.

"I found Minato's son training with his mother, and there was a weird seal on his stomach" Sasuke explained, "And there was this strange red chakra coming off him…." Fugaku raised an eyebrow at this

"A seal and red chakra…." Fugaku muttered, Sasuke nodded, "You may have come across interesting information, but don't think that saves you from your punishment." he warned with a stern glare

"Yes Father," Sasuke said accepting his fate.

The mention of the red chakra had him interested. Was it possible Kushina had passed some of the Kyubi's chakra to her son? It would explain the chakra… but why the seal? Was he having problems controlling some chakra? Yes the Kyubi was a monster of unfathomable power, but a mere fraction of its power shouldn't require a full on seal… unless the Kyubi's chakra was more potent even in smaller amounts than he anticipated. No… Kushina had the Kyubi ripped out of her that night, an act that normally would kill the Jinchuriki. Even if the Uzumaki have very strong life forces, she would have been extremely weakened, probably in a critical state, certainly too weak to have the Kyubi sealed back inside her… Minato wouldn't want to kill his wife, or have Konoha lose its tailed beast… Wait, Naruto was born the same night. Fugaku's fist clenched as he let out a laugh as it hit him

"Minato you sly Fox…."

* * *

 _ **No pun intended…**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!  
**_


	18. Story of the Aftermath

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up! Some Characters and Idea by Freelancer1989 special thanks to him for editing_

* * *

 _ **The Story of the Aftermath!**_

Isis was writing paper work. She had finished filing out papers when Tsume came in. She looked unimpressed. "Tsume, what happened?" Isis asked noticing her friend, looking down.

"The brat got away." she sighed.

"Who?" Isis asked.

"Sasuke Uchiha," she said. "He was snooping around the village that explosion was probably him."

"Yeah, to get the Chunins and ANBU distracted," Isis said. "But at the same time it would rouse suspicion as to how it happened, rookie mistake."

"Yeah," Tsume smirked. "He wasn't very good at hiding his scent either."

"That's how you picked him up so quickly, sounds like he underestimated your clan in general." Isis noted.

"Yeah he did, I could smell the kid a mile away." Tsume boasted. "By the way, I wanted to remind you the Kazekage will be attending this year's Chunin exams in a couple weeks. That means we'll have to beef up security."

"So soon, my how time flies…" Isis sighed.

"Yeah it does seem like only yesterday the Uchiha and the Inuzuka teamed up." Tsume noted with a smile, Isis smiled back as her thoughts drifted towards six years ago.

 _ **Cue Flash back….**_

The morning had finally come Riku had been sitting with his father and brother for such a long time. He was worried he didn't see Sasuke anywhere only his brother Itachi. People were chattering in fear, some were crying a little. Soon the door opened revealing one of the ANBU and Isis.

"Mom!" Sitka called as she came over. She had blood coming down from her head and had bruises all over her body.

She winced as she kneeled down. Ryuto rushed over looking terrified at his wife's condition. "It's alright it's not nearly as bad as it looks."

"Mommy?" Riku asked looking up at her timidly. Isis looked at Riku wearing a navy sleeveless hoody and black pants, he looked so afraid.

"Don't worry, mommy's right here." Isis pulled her boys into her arms, "It's going to be alright now…" she said as they clung to her.

Sitka's attention had been turned to Itachi who seemed to suddenly become very depressed after talking with Omini, one of the Uchiha his mom worked with. But it was one single question that snapped him back into reality.

"What happened, Fugaku and his followers?" Ryuto asked.

"We drove them out of the Village" Isis replied, "I managed to defeat Fugaku."

"So what happened to Mikoto and Sasuke?" Sitka asked.

"They're gone," Isis sighed.

"Gone where?!" Riku asked concerned for his friend.

"They've left the village, and won't be coming back," Isis shook her head.

"But he wasn't doing anything wrong, that's not fair!" Riku cried.

"I know sweetie," she sighed pulling Riku into a hug as tears flowed down his cheeks. Soon everyone was allowed back into the village. They came to the sight of Chunin and Jonin picking up dead bodies. One thing that Ryuto instantly noticed was that many among the people who rushed to their fallen loved ones many were Hyuga.

"The Hyuga, were dealt a terrible blow." Isis said sadly Riku holding close to Sitka. Ryuto rushed up to his old team mate. Takuto Hyuga, he was watching the body of her Sixteen year old daughter being carried away.

"Takuto!" Ryuto said the man looked at him with a hateful glare. It was like he was looking at a traitor he then looked loathingly at his family. Ryuto watched sadly as the man walked off he sighed and went back to his family.

"I'm sorry Ryuto," Isis said quietly.

"It's not your fault." Ryuto assured.

"Mom? Everyone looks mad at us…" Sitka said nervously, the other Uchiha were with her as they looked at the villagers that were there and glaring hatefully.

"Let's go…" Isis replied as they left the villagers glaring. Riku looked back seeing glares that wanted them gone. He had never seen a glare quite like it before he held close to Isis who picked him up.

 **X X X**

Isis now took Fugaku's place on the Jonin council, among its members were; Hiroshi Senju, Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Inochi Yamanaka, and Hiashi Hyuga. The two members on the Konoha leadership were there as well, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane and the Hokage Minato. Hiruzen, the former third Hokage was also present. There was one person she noticed was missing and hoped wouldn't show up, knowing he'd do anything to throw things into chaos and rile up Hiashi against her.

"Where is lord Inazuka?" Koharu asked

"Unfortunately, he had an urgent matter to attend to and asked me to act in his place" Tsume explained

"Where is Danzo?" Homura asked.

"Danzo is no longer part of the Council." Minato said simply as he returned to work. "This is my proposition all power that was taken from the Military Police and given to the ANBU will be returned; and the Uchiha will be allowed into the residential areas."

"Lord Minato, we can't just return all power to Military Police force." Koharu argued. "How can we-"

"We can trust those who stood with us during the coup attempt. Persecution is what led us to this disaster in the first place. If we want to move forward, we need to have faith in the Konoha Uchiha." Minato said firmly.

"He's right. Our treatment of the Uchiha following the Kyubi attack is what caused all of this." Hiruzen added, "And those who stood with us have proven where their loyalties lay"

"Or they just acted out of self-preservation…" Hiashi muttered, Minato silenced him with a hard glare before Isis could give an angry retort

"I don't know what good it's going to do," Shibi Aburame said to steer the conversation back, "With half of the Uchiha clan gone, the military police force is down a good percentage of its members including the captain."

"That is true…" Isis noted sadly.

"Pair them with us" Tsume cut in, "We Inuzuka can enhance our senses and reflexes for tracking and taijutsu, combine that with our dogs and the talents of the Uchiha it might make the Police force stronger than before."

Hiruzen hummed stroking his chin. Minato seemed to like the idea as well

"That sounds like a great idea." Hiroshi said. "I've always thought you two would make a good team."

"I suppose they could keep the Uchiha in line." Homura sighed.

"Alright, all those in favor?" Minato asked. Hiroshi, Isis, Shibi, Choza, Shikaku, Inochi, Hiruzen, Hiroshi and Tsume all rose their hands. "Those opposed." Homura and Kotaru, rose their hands.

"Hiashi?" Hiruzen asked as they turned to him.

"No comment," he replied hotly.

"Very well, now let's figure out what to do with the village, some areas were badly damage so we may have to relocate several people." he said pulling out a map of the village as they worked through the night.

When Isis came home finally she saw Riku sitting on the couch covered in bruises with Ryuto and Sitka tending to them. "Riku what happened!?"

"Some jerk from the Hyuga clan named Kala beat him up!" Sitka growled hotly.

"Oh sweetie!" Isis rushed over kneeling down towards him. "Did you tell a teacher?"

"I tried; he threatened to blind me with his gentle fist!" Riku sobbed.

Isis gasped and hugged him as he sobbed. Sitka sighed hotly and walked out. "Sitka!" Ryuto shouted but he ignored him. "He wants to scare that kid but I told him no. If Sitka did that it would only confirm what they think of us." Isis nodded and held him tightly before getting an idea.

"Do you want to go get some dumplings?" she asked. Riku wiped his eyes and nodded. They left and made their way towards the dumpling shop inside of town. Riku stayed close hanging his head.

"He…said…I was weak…" Riku muttered.

"No sweetie." Isis said kneeling beside him. "Your teachers keep telling me how good you're doing at the academy" Isis assured.

" _Sniff,_ R…really?" Riku asked.

"Of course," Isis said caressing his face making him smile, "And I'm proud of you"

As they sit and ordered some pot stickers and desert dumplings. Riku happily ate the pot stickers but he noticed the glares again he shrunk down as Isis rubbed his back. "Just ignore them Riku, it'll be okay." She suddenly heard footsteps coming, he shrunk behind his mother. It saddened her to see her normally out going son so fearful of strangers.

Coming towards her however were Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Shikaku and Chisasu, Hiroshi's wife, along with Choza and his Wife.

"It's alright Riku," Isis said assuredly. "I know them." Riku poked his head out.

"Good afternoon Lady Isis," Guy said. He was a tall man with his chunin vest and a green Jumpsuit with his forehead protecter across his waist. Shikaku was a grizzled man with black hair tied in a spiky pony tail that stuck out behind his head wearing under armor pants and a fur trimmed vest. Various scars he gotten from his career covering his body. Kurenai who had just been promoted to Jonin had a white dress with a rose thorn pattern with an undershirt and a long red sleeve. Choza had bright red hair with a pair of purple tattoos on his face and a full plump man like many in his clan. He also had a white headband and the regular Ninja jumpsuit but black with armor the middle engraved with the crest of his clan. Choza was known for his gentle and caring nature, as much as his great appetite.

Asuma looked a lot like his father in his younger years from the pictures that Isis had seen. He had darkish blue hair and wasn't doing his usual habit of smoking due to where she and her son were seated. He was wearing a forehead protector, and the typical Jonin outfit. Finally there was Chisasu, much like Lady Kushina she came from a distant land however unlike Kushina, Hiroshi had rescued her and brought her to the village. She had vibrant magenta hair and blue eyes

"How are you holding up?" Choza asked.

"We're still rebuilding, I heard that the Akimichi clan, had to relocate, I apologize." Isis replied humbly.

"Ehh don't worry about it, with Hiroshi's help, we're making fast work of it." Choza assured.

"I'm glad," Isis said in relief. "We're also getting dirty looks."

"Sorry to hear that," Kurenai said sympathetically.

"Don't worry about them, they're just sore." Asuma assured her. It was then that Chisasu noticed Riku watching them carefully.

"Looks like someone's a little roughed up," she cooed kneeling down. Riku watched her nodding quietly. Chisasu smiled warmly, "Here, let me help you."

Riku blinked looked to Isis who gave him a reassuring nod. Riku walked up to her. Chisasu placed her hand on him and sent a wave of warm soothing chakra into him, the soreness and bruises fade.

"It doesn't hurt anymore…" Riku said as he felt the pain fade away. "Wow… how'd you do that?"

"I know medical ninjutsu" Chisasu smiled, "My sister-in-law taught it to me."

"Thank you, I'm Riku." he smiled

"I'm Chisasu Senju." she nodded

"We just wanted to thank you and your clan, for all your help." Asuma told them. "And we wanted to let you know that there are others who are grateful as well,"

"Thank you that's good to hear," Isis said.

"You're welcome; we've got your backs!" Guy said smiling and gave a thumbs up.

"For sure" Chisasu added with a small smile as she noticed Riku was becoming much more comfortable. "The Senju will do all it can to help the Uchiha."

"I thank you all," Isis said happily, "we both do."

"Yeah thanks a lot." Riku said much more confident.

 **X X X**

As time went on and the village was fully rebuilt, Riku was still alone. Most of the kids were told to stay away from him. Only a few would talk to him, only for any teacher not named Iruka to shoo them away saying he was dangerous. At times, it seemed like he was the only Uchiha left in the school. He often felt so alone. After what seemed like ages the academy finally let out for the day. Riku walked out and saw his family. He noticed Sitka with red eyes like he had been crying but he seemed to be closer to his old self it didn't seem like he'd be reserved or surly.

"Hey buddy" Sitka said calmly.

"Sitka!" Riku said, "How are you feeling."

"Much better, I'm sorry." Sitka sighed

"It's okay," Riku assured as they began to make the long trek back to the Uchiha compound.

They were walking through the town to meet up with their parents. Riku waved as they spotted them. Sitka was wary of the looks that seemed just for them these days, spiteful furious looks that bore into them, and wanted them to leave anyway at all. Riku huddled close to Isis as Sitka tried to ignore them but as they went down the street. Suddenly he felt something hit him in the head and ooze down the back of his neck. He reached back with his hand; an egg had been thrown at him. He gasped as two more rushed at Isis… but she moved like a flash and caught the two eggs aimed at her and his father.

"Alright," she said hotly but in a calm tone. "Who threw these?" she asked her eyes carefully scanning the area. There was a villager that stepped forward and glared throwing another couple of eggs. Riku hid behind Ryuto as Sitka gasped. Isis however caught them with very little effort.

"Get out of our village you traitors!" The man snarled.

"Who are you calling traitors!?" Isis said in an annoyed tone but Sitka could sense she was holding back how she really felt. "We fought for the village."

"But it was half of you that betrayed us and all of you hid when the Ninetails attacked!" the man spat. After that other villagers that had been watching them all shouted in united agreement.

"Leave us alone!" Sitka cried, Riku was whimpering trying to hide as much as possible.

"Hey!" shouted a powerful but distinctly feminine voice. Isis recognized that voice and was proven right as Tsume Inazuka and Kuromaru leapt over the crowd and interposed themselves between the angry villagers and her family. Sitka could see that the Dog was black and white with a missing ear and a scar visible under his eye patch. "That's enough!" she shouted, Kuromaru growling menacingly with his hair standing on end.

Riku sniffled but started to calm down when he saw the villagers back off. "I won't tolerate harassment of Konoha citizens, regardless of what clan they hail from!" she warned.

"Even traitors?" the ring leader of the riot asked.

"They told the Hokage what was going on." Said another voice everyone turned to see Shikaku Nara leaning against a light post. "They fought side by side with us."

"That doesn't make what happened okay!" shouted the man.

"If they're traitors to anyone, they're traitors to the ones who wanted to betray Konoha," Shikaku replied calmly. "That's plainly obvious to anyone." the villager growled and started to make his way through the crowd. "You don't need a high IQ to figure that out."

"Thank you, Shikaku, Tsume," she said gratefully.

The Dog walked up to Riku and noticed the sad little boy licking his face Riku started to giggle. Sitka held a hand to his chest.

"That was close," he sighed.

"I swear some people." Tsume sighed as Kuromaru walked over to Riku, licking his arm and letting the boy pet him.

"Yeah," Isis agreed. Tsume snapped her fingers and a couple of other Inuzuka members including their own Dogs rushed up and surrounded the villager.

"Hey!" he shouted.

"Did I say you were free to go?" she growled. "Like I said, I won't tolerate harassment towards a citizen of Konoha, regardless of what clan they hail from. And that includes the Uchiha clan."

The villager gasped in horror and sighed, raising his hands in surrender as he was led away. Riku giggled as he rubbed Kuromaru's belly, the big dog kicking one leg really fast. Sitka, having relaxed now that the danger was over, joined his little brother.

"Never too old for that, huh Kuromaru?" Tsume sighed smiling.

"Thank you Tsume" Ryuto said.

"No problem," Tsume replied.

"Hey you guys are working with my mom now right?" Riku asked, looking up from belly rubbing Kuromaru

"What do you mean little guy?" Tsume asked.

"You're all working on the police force now," Riku clarified.

Tsume smiled proudly. "That's correct. Though to be honest, Fugaku was the head of the police force. But they've changed things within the police force."

"So who's head now?" Sitka asked.

"That'd be me." Tsume replied.

"Wow cool!" Sitka said making her grin proudly and let out a slight chuckle of pride.

Riku sighed and looked to the ground. "I had a friend who wanted to join the Police force. But he's…." Riku was cut off by a lick to his cheek by one of the other Dogs making him smile as one of the other members returned.

"You and your dogs are like super in sync." Sitka noticed.

"We've had them since they were puppies." Tsume said as Riku hugged the dogs. "It's like a brotherhood. We live, eat, sleep, and fight together,"

"That's awesome!" Sitka said in awe.

"Wow!" Riku added.

"Hey Mom, are you still the Lieutenant?" Sitka asked.

"Technically... though I've been a little too busy for police work recently," Isis replied.

"Sorry" Sitka replied.

"Don't worry we've got things covered," Tsume replied as they parted ways Riku bidding goodbye to Kuromaru.

With things settling down after a month Isis was finally able to get back into her work as the Lieutenant, she put on her uniform. It was the same as the others, the normal blue shirt and pants, and green flack vest of a Konoha shinobi. Her blue sandals had armor plates covering the front of her shins. On one upper sleeve, she bore the four sided star symbol of the Konoha police force, which bore the Uchiha crest in its center. To finish it off she put on her forehead protector, watching the light play about the design of the leaf symbol.

She didn't include the small belt that would usually go over the other Uchiha crest on her left sleeve, it would be something new to update to the current state of the Military Police. She left the house as and began walking towards the town. The Military Police force building had been damaged during the fight specifically by her's and Fugaku's Susanoo. The building was rebuilt in town to allow the Uchiha to work closer to the village, as well as allow the Inuzuka members and others who would be working there…. In fact, they were in for a lot of changes at the Police Force…

She sighed for a bit, it wouldn't be the same without Fugaku. They had been friends for as long as she could remember. They were incompatible as a couple but that didn't hurt their friendship. It was just that they desired different things in a partner. And as it turned out, they had radically different views on the future of their clan… She shook her head and made her way forward to do her rounds and her job. Regardless of what the public thought of her or her clan, she would continue to be loyal to Minato and to Konoha.

Meanwhile….

Riku headed home from school, however as he was he was approached by Kala who smirked at him. "Leave me alone you jerk!"

Kala instantly grabbed him and shoved him back before he could get too far. "Where ya going failure? We didn't finish our match from earlier."

"What's your problem? I didn't do anything to you!" Riku snapped.

"You're an Uchiha; you don't have to do anything to deserve this!" Kala said as he hit Riku with the Gentle fist taijutsu, fortunately he didn't send any blasts of chakra. Riku jumped up and threw a punch back.

"What does that mean?! We picked the village!" Riku shouted as Kala dodged his punch and replied with a palm heel strike

"You're still a bunch of blood thirsty heathens, that's what Lord Hiashi said," Kala replied proudly.

"What?!" Riku said, clearly insulted and hurt, "That's not true!"

"Yeah it is you tried to take over and set the Ninetails loose," Kala replied snippily.

"None of us did that! Some crazy fanatics did that! We helped get everyone to safety when the attack happened," Riku protested.

"Probably so you could kill them yourselves later!" Kala sneered. "Either way you're just a bunch of barbarians."

"NO!" Riku tried to hold his ground and not cry. "We're not barbarians!" he took off running so that he wouldn't have to deal with this anymore but Kala gave chase. Riku ran as fast as he could trying to go faster and faster. However he slipped and skid on the ground and Kala was finally able to catch up.

Kala smirked as he heard Riku sniffle. "You gonna cry, barbarian?"

"Just leave me alone!" Riku said fighting back tears. Kala kicked him onto his back and roughly pulled him up by his shirt laughing when he saw tears stream down Riku's face.

"Put him down!" someone shouted.

Kala turned in surprise he saw a girl the same age as Riku with tanned skin, blue eyes fixed in a glare, deep brown hair and a small gold dress that was sleeveless with the crest of the Senju Clan on the back.

"Well if it isn't the little Senju princess." Kala scoffed, "Beat it, this is between men."

"You're not a man, you're a bully and a coward!" she growled. "Now put him down!"

"Get lost or you're next!" the Hyuga warned

"Fine!" she shouted, weaving hand signs. Riku and Kala were skeptical of this but sure enough coming out of the ground were roots one of which knotted punching Kala in the stomach making him let go of Riku. The Uchiha boy watched as a few more whipped the Hyuga bully until with finally, he quickly ran away.

"Hmph!" the girl with the golden dress dismissed the jutsu and turned to the other boy. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. Riku wiped his eyes, silently nodding.

"Come with me." she said taking his hand and leading him towards a manor. Riku silently nodded as they went forward. "Come on, my house is this way!" she said happily as Riku kept up.

Riku gasped as he recognized a crest above the doorway. It was the Senju crest. He was at the Senju manor. It was large with polished wood on the floors and ceilings with warm colored walls. There was some large furniture inside as well. "Wow it's big!" It was dawning on him that Kala must have chased him all the way to the Senju compound, which is how the girl found him so quickly.

"Kiki is that you?" asked a voice coming from the other room. To Riku's surprise, it was Chisasu Senju.

"That's your mom?" he asked.

"Yeah" she replied happily.

"Oh Riku, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well…" Riku sighed.

"Someone beat you up again?" Chisasu asked

"Yeah…" Riku nodded sadly, "It was Kala Hyuga."

"He's a bully to everyone." Chisasu healed him and lead them into the living room. "Have a seat Riku, are you thirsty?"

"Uh huh." Riku replied quietly.

"Kiki, what about you?" Chisasu asked.

"Yes please," Kiki replied.

"Alright I'll be back," she said heading into the kitchen.

"You're an Uchiha right?" Kiki asked once she had left.

"Yeah, but we're not barbaric or blood thirsty, Kala was lying!" Riku protested.

"I know that," Kiki reassured him, "he's really mean to everyone. My mom told me a little bit about your clan." Riku sighed in relief. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Kiki Senju, but I guess you heard that already."

"You want to be friends?" Kiki asked.

"You sure you'd want to be friends with an Uchiha?" Riku asked quietly.

"I don't care what clan you're from silly." Kiki giggled.

Riku looked over surprised and smiled letting out a small laugh. Chisasu returned with some tea that was able to warm Riku up, making him more at ease. "Mommy, can Riku stay for dinner?" Kiki asked.

"If it's alright with him" Chisasu replied.

"I don't mind but my mom…" Riku replied a little worriedly.

"I'll let your family know." Chisasu explained. Riku nodded in agreement with this.

 **X X X**

Hours later, Chisasu opened the door and let Isis into her home "Thank you Chisasu, I've been busy all day, my other boy and his dad actually grabbed some take out for dinner."

"I'm glad I could help," Chisasu said and quietly waved her over to the living room where the two kids had been playing. Isis poked her head from around the corner and saw Kiki and Riku sleeping together on the couch. "Awww, they look so cute together!" she squeed as a grateful smile curved Isis' beautiful face.

* * *

 **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**


	19. Itachi: the Uchiha Prodigy

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Some Characters and Idea by Freelancer1989 Special thanks to him for editing_

* * *

 _ **Itachi: Prodigy of the Uchiha!**_

Naruto was walking down the street ready for a nice bowl of Ramen at Ichiraku. He could already taste the Miso Chashu pork. He rushed towards the small Ramen bar and took his seat and made his order.

However he suddenly saw someone sitting beside him. It was Sitka. "Sitka hey!"

"Hey!" Sitka replied with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"I've never been here before so I thought I'd give it a try finally." Sitka replied.

Naruto gaped, "You've never been here?! **How do you exist?!"** he shouted in disbelief.

Sitka turned to him slightly and gave him a flat annoyed look. "Simple, I was born August 17th seventeen years ago. Then I lived for seventeen years."

"That's not what I mean!" Naruto said with his eyes narrowed tightly. "You haven't lived till you have the Ramen here."

"There's more to eat out there than Ramen," Sitka replied simply.

Naruto pouted at him with a look that was saying he had said something blasphemous but their meals had come. "Thanks for waiting." The Ramen guy said as he placed down the Ramen.

"What flavor did you get?" Naruto asked.

"Shrimp Miso," Sitka replied happily as he ate a large piece of the shellfish. Naruto could see it was full with small celery stalks, lots of mushrooms, and large shrimp with a couple of hard boiled eggs on top. As a bit of presentation, a small sprinkling of green onion was added.

"That looks good." Naruto said.

"Yeah, try it next time." he said slurping up some noodles. "Man this is delicious, I'll have to come back here." he said between mouthfuls as Naruto dug into his own ramen.

As Naruto did, he saw a Itachi walking by Sitka called out to him making him stop and turn Naruto's mind drifted to what happened at the Graveyard.

"Hey who was Sishui anyway?" Naruto asked it seemed like an innocent enough question but Itachi upon hearing it left suddenly.

"Naruto!" Sitka growled but sighed realizing he didn't know. "Sorry it's just that's a sensitive topic for him."

"Can you tell me?" Naruto asked. Sitka sighed, but nodded.

"Shisui of the Body Flicker as he was called was Itachi's best friend. We all were but they were much closer, like brothers. They were very skilled so they were able to find a good friend in each other. He's the reason I was able to start learning Wind style." Sitka replied showing Naruto a picture of the three of them when they were younger.

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked.

Sitka sighed looking into the sky. "He committed Suicide,"

"HUH!? But why!?" Naruto said in shock and horror.

"No one knows, he was just there one day and gone the next. Maybe pressure to pick a side got to him and it broke him seeing the clan split in two, I don't know." Sitka sighed.

"That's really sad," Naruto said. There was a moment of silence before it was broken. "You want to visit his grave?"

"You know what sure," Sitka replied. As they got to the graveyard with some the flowers that Sitka had bought, he saw that Naruto laid a couple down before he did and smiled as they stared at the grave for a bit in reverence.

However, they noticed Kakashi's presence as well. He was looking over a couple of graves one of which Naruto recognized. It was one of the two graves that had been desecrated when Sitka had been kidnapped. Naruto snuck up behind him and looked at the grave, " _Obito Uchiha."_

" _That names familiar…."_ Naruto sighed, crossing his arms trying to think of where he heard it.

"He was my teammate, the same team." Kakashi said having noticed him.

"Oh yeah, my Dad's team," Naruto said, "Now I remember! They wanted me to be like him!"

"Yeah," Kakashi muttered quietly.

"The Uchiha Clan lost a handful of members in the third Great Ninja war, I think that contributed to them rebelling and being resentful." Sitka said sadly.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"None of the Accomplishments of the Uchiha especially Fugaku were never made public." Sitka replied.

"They can't just have you guys do stuff and not thank you for it!" Naruto protested.

"That's what happened, and I know it's not fair, right now I can't really say anything." Sitka replied.

"Why not?" Naruto asked sadly.

"Because with Fugaku causing trouble, relations between the village and my clan are a bit Rocky right now. The last thing they need is an Uchiha throwing a hissy fit about something that was a root cause in the clan splitting in two in the first place. Believe me I don't like it either, I tried to do something about it years ago and that blew up in my face badly and that was at the best of times." Sitka said.

Naruto growled he didn't like this at all. Kakashi learned from day one that he was more of a doer. But Sitka was right, the last thing they needed was to dig up old issues.

"If it's any consolation," Kakashi said after breaking the silence, "You guys are back on duty tomorrow, which means more missions."

"Seriously!?" Naruto asked perking up.

" _Nice work Kakashi."_ Sitka thought.

"So do you think I could beat Itachi as Hokage?" Naruto asked suddenly.

Sitka scoffed playfully. "The only way you could do that is if you held your own against him now." He boasted.

Naruto got a sneaky look and took off. "Naruto!" they both shouted but he was already running. They quickly went after him. "I just had to open my mouth!" Sitka growled. Naruto's eyes suddenly glazed over as he started to fall, Kakashi gasped and quickly grabbed him before he could fall face first into the ground.

"That was close, what's going on with him?" Kakashi asked a little nervously as he headed for Kushina's.

 **X X X**

Sitka saw Itachi return to where he had been staying the past few years, with Izumi and her mother, Hazuki, "Hey Hazuki!" Sitka said.

"Why Hello Sitka," She said greeting the boy. "Good to see you. What brings you by?"

"I brought Dango's for the two love birds." Sitka replied sneakily, he had once discovered that Itachi had a massive sweet tooth, a secret he kept with him and only shared with a select few since then.

"Oh thank you, I think they'd like that very much" She replied taking the bag from Sitka.

"Okay see ya!" Sitka replied rushing off. Hazuki nodded, smiling to herself as she brought them in. She was instantly noticed by her daughter. She was tall and slender with dark hair, her father's black eyes, smiling and filled with light. She was wearing a purple sleeveless shirt with a black skirt pants. She also had a beauty mark under her left eye.

"Mother hi!" she said happily. "Did you just get back?"

"Yes I did and someone left you and Itachi something," she said cheekily holding up the bag. Izumi sighed and playfully rolled her eyes.

"I bet it was Sitka again I swear, it's like he's trying to get us together." Izumi chuckled as she took the bag from Hazuki and went upstairs. She knocked on the door where Itachi was staying. He had returned recently from an assignment. And was sitting exhausted but he heard her knock.

"Come in." He said.

Izumi opened the door, entered, and sat beside him out on the balcony that overlooked a section of the Uchiha compound as well as the larger buildings closer to the village center. "Look what Sitka got us." she said opening the bag. Itachi saw it and gasped, trying to compose himself.

"He….didn't…." he half growled and gasped in awe, however this screamed Sitka was trying to make another moment between them. Izumi giggled and passed him one which he took slightly greedily.

Izumi smiled at him. He blushed eating the dango. She pulled out her own stick and took a bite. There was a moment of silence, "I'm sorry about your brother." Izumi finally said.

Itachi didn't say anything he just glanced at the ceiling. "I expected this to be honest."

"You've got to talk to him convince him to come back home" Izumi tried to sound hopeful.

"It's his choice in the end. If he sides with father, there's no changing that." Itachi said with a hint of despair and fear in his voice. If he couldn't convince Sasuke, he might have to kill his own brother.

 **X X X**

Naruto woke up with his back wet his eyes were met with a familiar dim yellow light. Standing up he recognized the many stone walls and pipes with dripping water there was also the same cruel laughter from before. The last thing he remembered, he was with Kakashi and Sitka…

"So it wasn't a dream after all…" he muttered turning towards the barred doors. "Alright start talking!"

" _You're not as stupid as you look, I'm impressed."_ The monster replied simply.

"Whatever, what do you want!?" Naruto growled.

" _Just to laugh in your face and talk to you about that little Uchiha teammate of yours."_ The monster sneered.

"What about Riku?!" Naruto demanded.

" _You don't know what's in his heart, do you? Then again you don't know much of anything."_ The monster retorted.

"What do you mean!?" Naruto barked.

" _Heh heh heh, I'm not going to say anything, I'll just let that little tidbit be a surprise. As for Riku it's quite obvious if you look hard enough. He hates this village and everyone in it for how poorly they treat his clan. As far as he's concerned it's their fault that the Uchiha split in two_."

"You're lying!" Naruto snapped.

" _Am I?"_ The monster sneered. " _Tell me that again when you have to fight him as a rogue Ninja…"_

"Riku won't betray the village, believe it!" Naruto stomped his foot in the shallow water. "Who the hell do you think you are, some kind of hatred expert or something?"

" _Well, I guess the incarnate of Hatred can claim to that."_ Naruto hated that mocking sneer through the bars

"Incarnate of Hatred huh, what are ya some demon from on a mountain top or something?" Naruto scoffed.

" _Demon yes, mountain top no. I see Kushina hasn't told you the truth. You should ask her…."_

 **X X X**

"He just collapsed for no reason, all his vital signs are normal though." Kakashi told Kushina as Naruto was laid out on the couch with a cold compress. Kushina sitting beside him.

"I think I have an idea, of what's going on ya know." Kushina said gravely.

"Wait you don't mean…." Kakashi started.

"Yes, the Fox is making contact with him." Kushina replied. "But I can't think of why it would."

"Maybe to try and corrupt him, that's all I can think." Kakashi suggested.

"We'll have to ask him when he wakes up." Kushina replied. On cue however Naruto woke up.

"Whoa that was weird," he muttered sitting up. "It feels like a dream again but it wasn't." Naruto muttered. He turned to Kushina who felt her heart stop. "Mom, what's going on?"

Kushina and Kakashi looked at each other, then back to the young blonde. She sat down after a long silence. "Naruto I need you to listen to me, you remember people talking about a monster fox that attacked the village right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Naruto asked.

"There are nine powerful beasts made of chakra called the tailed beasts each of the villages have one of their own and a couple of smaller villages have them too. The Leaf village has the Nine-tailed Fox." Kushina began. "It happened on your birthday and a lot happened that night…" Kushina replied as her thoughts drifted back to that terrible night. "After you were born we were both captured by Madara fanatics. Your father managed to rescue us both but not before they extracted the Kyubi from us."

"Kyubi, is that what it's called?" Naruto asked listening intently. "So where's it now?"

"Well, I'm getting to that, ya know. The goal of the fanatics was to extract the Nine-tailed Fox from me. They succeeded, and took control of it to attack the village." She said as the memories came bubbling back

"So why get mad at the Uchiha for that?" Naruto asked.

"Only a mangekyo genjutsu, and particularly powerful one at that, can control the Ninetails," Kushina replied.

"So that's why." Naruto muttered.

"I wanted to have your father seal the Kyubi back inside me, so I could take it with me and both of us would die. However your father was worried about the balance of the tailed beasts between villages. So…"

"It's… inside me?!" Naruto gasped looking horrified. "You sealed a monster inside your own son!?" Naruto cried standing up.

"Naruto listen to me, there's more-" Kushina started but Naruto ran off. "Naruto!" she shouted but ignored him jumping out the window and disappearing as she and Kakashi called out his name again.

Naruto eventually settled in the swing under the tree, saddened. He sat leaning up against the rope as he held on to it, he sighed. It was then however he heard a couple of people talking.

"Look, it's the Hokage's son," Said a lady talking with a man.

"Don't give eye contact or you'll have to be nice. I can't believe the Hokage would seal that beast in his own son then let it stay in the village. If he wasn't the Hokage's son, I'd have run him out of town by now… him and his bitch of a mother."

Naruto felt his heart shatter as the lady nodded in agreement and added. "I bet if that Uchiha brat knew, he wouldn't want to work with him." Tears welling up in his eyes, Naruto ran to the nearest wall and leaped off it, out of the village and didn't look back.

"Naruto!" Kushina called, having arrived just after he left and looked around. Kakashi joined her in the search.

 **X X X**

As Naruto ran through the forest, tears blurring his vision, he suddenly heard a loud explosion. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, going towards it. When he got there, he saw three of Fugaku's flunkies standing around a body.

"The bastard was hard to take down, but I knew he would eventually." Yashrio stated before turning to the other two. "Let's get him out of here and get our bounty."

"Wait!" said the youngest of the group looking like a younger Fugaku…sort of, they both had long brown hair with bangs that curved into an 'M' shape, but that's where the similarities end. He did something Naruto didn't recognize. "Someone's here and they're packing a lot of chakra…."

"You don't think…." said Inabi, the greasy looking Uchiha with long unkempt hair and a single bang in his face. Naruto blanched and quickly made his get away.

"Only one way to find out, Inabi take care of the body, we'll go see who our mystery visitor is." Yashiro said, Inabi nodded picking up the corpse. The three instantly parted ways as Naruto tried to run as fast as he could, skillfully jumping from tree branch to tree branch. He could just see the wall before he felt a kick in the back of his neck making him slam into one of the lower branches knocking him out.

Yashiro sneered as he looked down at Naruto, with a wicked smile his sharingan gleaming with a malicious joy. "Jackpot."

* * *

 _ **Note: Finally back from Moving or at least my computers set up there's still stuff to do which is why I was gone so long but Freelancer89 was awesome enough to have this for me when I was ready also only a few of you are reviewing but I Have lots of favorites which is awesome but I want to hear more from you so please drop reviews more often if you can**_

 **READ** _ **AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	20. Jinchuriki the Cursed Shinobi!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Idea and some Characters by FreeLancer1989 special thanks to him for Editing_

* * *

 _ **Jinchuriki the Cursed Shinobi!**_

"Naruto!" Kushina shouted frantically, as she ran around looking everywhere he wasn't at the swing. Kakashi had already sent out his ninja hounds to sniff the area. The commotion however was quick to catch the attention of not only Hiruzen but Kiki and Riku.

"Kakashi sensei what's going on?" Riku asked.

"Naruto's gone missing." Kakashi replied. "Have either of you seen him?"

"No we haven't." Kiki said in a worried tone. "Riku, let's go try and find him."

"Right," he said as the two ran off, looking all over the village.

"I wonder what could've made him run off." Riku said quietly, loud enough for only Kiki to hear.

"I don't know." She said as they scanned the area, so far no sign, "Naruto…" Kiki muttered.

They suddenly heard a howl they looked at each other and rushed forward to where it was coming from. It was at the Gates of the Village Kakashi's Dogs were standing around him. They were talking.

"It's not Naruto's" Said the small Pug that stood at the forefront of the Dogs. Kushina sighed in relief but still looked worried.

"Then where is he?" Kushina asked worriedly.

"We think he might have been taken." Paku shook his head, "we found the blood a couple of miles from the Village gates." Kushina gasped and immediately took off to get ready.

"I bet it was Sasuke and his dad…." Riku muttered.

"Why them?" Kiki asked tilting her head as they watched the ninja below Kakashi and Itachi included.

Riku thought for a moment trying to gather the memories together efficiently. "I heard from Sitka that when Lord Fourth was nominated for Hokage, the Uchiha clan did not give him a vote of confidence my mom and Dad and a few others were happy for him. But the majority weren't very happy. He might know more."

"Then let's go talk to him." Kiki stated.

"No need to find me." Said a voice and they turned to see the older Uchiha sit beside them. "I came to see what the commotion was about."

"Naruto's been kidnapped, we think the Uchiha clan might have done it, because the half that split from us hated his dad." Riku said summarizing what he theorized.

"That's more than possible, but why not send us a note or leave something and how they'd even get in," Sitka asked.

"I have no idea; security's been beefed up since they tried that with you and me." Riku replied.

Sitka nodded. "Okay," He said standing up. "The sooner the others know this the better."

"Yeah let's go!" Riku said standing up with Kiki.

"You two are staying here!" Sitka suddenly said. "Fugaku hasn't been a fan of mom since that night and they're not very fond of the Senju clan either, I'll go tell the others, after that we'll be leaving to get him back. You've done more than enough and are staying here," he said firmly running off before Riku and Kiki could argue.

Riku groaned and leaned back. This wasn't fair; they wanted to help Naruto too. He was their friend. He sighed standing up but Kiki tapped his shoulder making him look towards her. She whispered something in his ear and he blinked in shock.

"Seriously!" he said as she grinned mischievously. "There's a darker side to you isn't there?"

"Yup" Kiki said 'innocently.'

 **X X X**

Naruto groaned as he felt a stone floor he gasped and jumped up and looked around he was in a cage covered with seals his arms tied behind him with extra rope around his chest. "What, where am I?!" he shouted in shock he looked around. The room around him had a few torch lights which lit up the room but still held a layer of darkness. The rest of the walls were finely carved and smooth with a few stone beams as support. On the wall was the familiar insignia of a fan with a red semi-circle over a white handle.

"Oh no…." Naruto muttered realizing where he was.

He suddenly heard footsteps coming towards him. It was Sasuke who smirked at him. "Word of advice cut back on the Ramen, poor Yashiro isn't getting any younger and you hurt his old bones."

Naruto glared taking offense to that snark. "Shut up I don't tell you how to live your life!" he snapped.

"Why'd you bring me here anyway!?" Naruto snarled.

Sasuke smirked. "You apparently learnt something new today, figure it out…" he replied cryptically.

Naruto glared and thought for a moment. He gasped, seeing a monster in his mind, "That…thing?!"

"That's right," came Fugaku's voice as he came down, "You never noticed the signs were always there I'd suspect. "

Naruto thought about it but he didn't come up with anything. "I don't see how!"

"You ever see a symbol that appears when charging Chakra?" Sasuke asked. "That's the seal appearing making sure that Fox doesn't sneak out. That blasted creature is the reason the village began to hate us and forced us from our home they even planned to slaughter our entire clan!" he growled, Fugaku put a hand on his shoulder making him calm down.

"Regardless, that tailed beast can be put to good use and within hours everything will be set right." Fugaku replied.

"Tailed beast?" Naruto asked. "You mean there are more of those things running around?!"

"Yes and no. They vary in power but all of them are immense in power." Fugaku replied. "There are nine cursed Shinobi with one of these beasts sealed within them. "They're known as Jinchuriki, and most don't exactly have famous parents to protect them from the spite of their villages. I wonder if your parents were gone what would become of you."

"Probably know what it's like to be hated." Sasuke said with a spiteful smirk.

Naruto looked away sadly, unsure of what to say he couldn't argue with that not after what he heard. The Kyubi was the reason that Riku's clan was split in two almost slaughtered and hated. Kiki hated seeing her friend suffer. It was all because of the thing inside him. He couldn't help but it. But it was there as far as the villagers were concerned they were one and the same. He felt a sadness spear deep into his heart but he refused to cry not in front of these two. They had left however, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts and tears.

 **X X X**

"There's no way we'll be able to catch up with Sitka" Riku said.

"We just need to get on him when he's not moving," Kiki said as they snuck into the Hokage Tower. They had rushed up to the Hokage's office. They heard talking and nodded to each other. Using the transformation jutsu, they turned into mice and crawled in, onto Sitka, landing on his bag.

"So you all know what do to do?" Hiruzen asked. "Tsume has tracked him to an Uchiha hide out."

"Yes," the three responded. It was then the three ninja consisting of Sitka, Kakashi, and Itachi took off. They headed quickly to the gate and out of the gate and into the trees. Riku and Kiki could feel Sitka jump across the trees almost gliding over them. They could feel the gentle leaping across the trees; the branches reacting to swift moving shadows rushing forwards to their destination.

Eventually the three came to a stop immediately the two escaped in their transformed state and climbed into a tree. "I hope they didn't see us…" Kiki muttered worriedly.

"Right," Riku muttered looking up at the strange looking building. It was a tall mountain made of different layers almost like a cake with trees along each layer. Two smaller mounts sat but between those two tall towers that connected into the larger mountain and at the very top was a building. They suddenly saw Tusme and a couple of Inuzuka and their dogs raced into the bottom layer.

"They're heading in, we've got to too." Riku muttered.

"That building up there, Naruto might be there." Kiki said pointing too it.

"Definitely a good place to start; lets hurry and be careful." Riku agreed as they headed towards the mountain.

 **X X X**

Sitka looked up at the large building. "We're a tenacious clan aren't we?" he muttered to Itachi who noted he was looking at the large structure. They had made their way inside the structure within was more refined and felt more like a building and a manmade structure then the last. But it still had roots sticking out in places as well as torches lining the hall.

"That is definitely true, though I can't fathom how this was constructed." He replied. "But I doubt this was done by the clan's hand alone. Don't forget we're also incredibly intelligent."

"That is true," Sitka muttered remembering the mines he was held in.

"Remember us and Tsume's group are the Advanced Party we're here for Naruto then to retreat with him." Kakashi reminded.

"Got it. Don't forget speed is my specialty." Sitka replied confidently.

"Next to Lord Fourth," Kakashi noted making Sitka pout. Pakkun who was at the front of the party sniffing for Naruto suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Itachi asked.

"I think someone had a couple of stowaways in their pack." Pakkun replied Sitka thought for a moment and gasped.

"Don't tell me! I told them to stay in the village!" Sitka groaned.

"They're probably looking for Naruto as well, but now that's three Genin we have to get to safety." Kakashi sighed.

Itachi nodded as he did he looked around. Maybe if he was lucky four Genin and one Chunin…

 **X X X**

Naruto sat wiping his eyes he heard some noise and looked up at the stair case in front of the door there were a couple of guards protecting the door way. They were mostly chatting about how their attack on the leaf.

"The Brat will probably live if his mom can he should be able too, we can kill him in front of the village that'll show them," Said one guard.

"Fugaku's not concerned about what happens to the kid, why should we be?" said the other.

Naruto hung his head, without his parents, the village would completely ostracize him, if not chase him out. What would his team think of him now; especially Riku and Kiki, the monster Fox inside him was the reason the clan was hated and thus why Riku suffered. Reasons for both of them to turn their back on him; maybe even Kakashi sensei, he had a dead team mate from the Uchiha clan that had his grave desecrated. He pulled his knees close to his chest and hid his face in them.

There was a couple of yelps from the top of the stairs suddenly, and then silence. Until…."Naruto?" Kiki's voice called, he didn't answer he didn't know what to say? What should he say?

"Let's have a look, he might've been gagged," Riku's voice came next and then footsteps that came closer and closer until they appeared at the bottom.

"Naruto!" they both shouted in relief. He looked away.

"Why do you care?" he muttered uncharacteristically.

"Because you're our team and our friend we came to rescue you!" Riku snapped trying to keep his voice low.

"We need to hurry, and get out of here!" Kiki stated.

"You shouldn't bother; after all I'm just a monster with a bigger one inside him." Naruto muttered almost in tears.

"What do you mean?" Kiki said. "You're not making any sense." Naruto just turned away from her.

Riku groaned; "We don't have time for this." He rushed to the cage and began picking at the lock.

"Naruto talk to us, what's wrong with you?" Kiki asked softly keeping a look out.

"I HAVE THE NINETAILS INSIDE OF ME THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG!" he shouted loudly. Riku and Kiki were stunned but not because of how loudly he screamed but because of what he said. Riku almost dropped the lock picking tools he was using. They rested limply in his hands he thought this over. His Clan had suffered because Madara Fanatics unleashed that monster on the village. Danzo and the elders had refused anyone from his clan too help. His mother had been bed ridden around that time so she couldn't defy them. But that wasn't Naruto's fault; he could barely hear Kiki quietly calling to him as he pondered then thought. No, he was just a baby, in fact three days younger than him. None of this could possibly be his fault. But somehow Naruto gotten tangled within the scars that event had left. As soon as his thoughts finished he got back to picking the lock.

"You're not." He said quietly. Naruto let out a sound of confusion and blinked at him. "I don't know why the fourth Hokage sealed the Ninetails into his own son but that doesn't make you one and the same. You're not the Ninetails anymore than the Ninetails is you." Riku replied.

"He's right. You're still Naruto no matter what." Kiki assured. Naruto blinked and teared up at this a little and smiled.

"Thanks guys, _sniff."_ Naruto quietly replied.

"How touching," Sasuke drawled they gasped and turned seeing Sasuke with Kaizuki at the top of the stairs with Kaizuki.

"Too bad you won't get to bond anymore in this life." Kazuki sneered holding up a couple of Kunai.

"Riku, get him out of there!" Kiki said doing a bunch of hand signs. " _ **Wood style Cutting Sprigs Jutsu!"**_ she shouted two roots shot out bullets and rushed aiming for their shoulders Sasuke however deflected them easily knocking them aside with his kunai the bullets exploded into tiny spiked balls as they tumbled down the stairs.

"That's some impressive Chakra control, restraining the power and size to disable but not kill. You don't want to kill me because of Riku do you?" he smirked. "You shouldn't be so soft you're a Ninja after all."

"Naruto get away from the door!" Riku shouted Naruto nodded and jumped away. He quickly wrapped an explosion tag around one of his kunai and slammed it into the lock instantly blowing the door open. Naruto ran out feeling his chakra return instantly. He wove hand signs and aimed his hands at the two young Uchiha facing them.

" _ **Wind Style Gale Palm!"**_ he shouted blowing them back a little. Instantly the three ran out with the other two hot on their tails.

 **X X X**

"Did you hear that?!" Pakkun muttered his ears perking as he looked around the stone pathways.

"An explosion" Kakashi muttered his eye narrowing.

"You don't think-"Sitka asked there was silence. "Let's hurry!" he shouted running only for three familiar Uchiha to appear.

"Going somewhere?" Yashiro sneered as the other two got his side with Kakashi and Itachi getting to Sitka's.

"Move, we don't have time for you!" Sitka growled.

"You're going to have to make time traitor!" Inabi growled holding his fist up towards them.

"You're the traitors!" Sitka snarled.

"Easy" Kakashi muttered as he pulled up his headband keeping his Sharingan on them.

"You're in the way," Itachi said coldly.

"Good, we're here to stop you. Fugaku will deal with those brats that snuck in." Tekka sneered.

"No!" Sitka hissed. " _We have to end this quickly!"_ he growled in his thoughts and grabbed his pole arm as Itachi reached for his sword and Kakashi the kunai on his right leg.

"Pakkun, find Riku and Kiki, warn them!" Kakashi commanded. He nodded and ran off.

"Hey!" Tekka growled but Kakashi landed a kick in his chin, making him fall backwards.

"Don't like people keeping _you_ in one place do you!?" Kakashi growled.

Sitka rushed at Inabi with a blinding speed and slashed at him but the older man fled in time, his Sharingan on the boy glaring. Sitka smirked as Inabi felt a bit of blood on his cheek it was a very light cut he glared at Sitka. "You think your hot stuff punk?"

Itachi had clashed a few hits against Yashiro who had his eyes wide open. The Sharingan gleaming with wide open eyes changed Yashiro's face and added an intense layer of seriousness. "I've been looking forward to a chance to bash your face in you brat!" Itachi merely narrowed his eyes in response not wanting to dignify Yashiro with a response.

Yashiro scowled and rushed at him with a Kunai in hand swiping at him Itachi dodged every blow moving back as Yashiro rushed at him Itachi eventually through a kick at him knocking him back. Yashiro glared at him as he did hand signs.

" _ **Fire Style Fire Dragon Jutsu!"**_ Itachi shouted his fire rushing forward in a serpent like shape. A dragon's head appeared at the end and rushed at Yashiro, who barely dodged. He groaned as the fire scathed him.

Yashiro growled as Itachi rushed at him landing a few kicks and punches that he blocked, however Yashiro pulled a string that seemed to catch Itachi off guard. However he suddenly disappeared into flurry of crows that rushed at him making him yelp and block his face with his arms. A shot of pain rushed into his gut as Itachi appeared suddenly and slammed a kick into his gut.

He growled jumping away as Itachi disappeared again Yashiro's eyes scanning for him. Sitka was using his pole arm to clash against Inabi's sword. He spun it as Inabi slashed at him rapidly. However the blows were blocked away every single time with Sitka tilting around to avoid when the blade got through.

He and Inabi blocked weapons for a minute and clashed, as he stabbed Sitka back-flipped away skidding across the ground and weaving hand signs. " _ **Wind Style**_!" he shouted sucking in a bunch of air. " _ **Air Bullet Jutsu!"**_ a flurry flew as Inabi countered with a Phoenix flower Jutsu. Some of the bullets made contact with the flames, making them burn hotter, but others struck the ground, kicking up a screen of dust. Sitka was gone almost instantly, the enhanced flames striking nothing.

Inabi growled looking the younger Uchiha, only for Sitka to appear behind him and slam him with a lightning fast fury of taijutsu. Inabi rolled across the ground hitting his side hard. He jumped back off and coughed the wind having been knocked out of him.

Meanwhile Kakashi was deflecting several Kunai that were thrown at him by Tekka. He growled and jumped away. He started sensing Chakra and sensed several moving underground he quickly jumped into the tree dodging the dogs Kakashi had at his beck and call they barked viciously at him. He stayed up in the tree growling at them as he did hand signs for the Fire Ball Jutsu, but he suddenly felt something cold and sharp press against his neck lightly.

"Don't even think about it," Kakashi growled. He growled and slashed at Kakashi who grabbed his arm and blocked his moves. Tekka twisted his body and kicked away against his chest. He sprung away and landed a few feet away from Kakashi.

Sitka and Inabi clashed, Sitka getting in another short combo before disappearing on Inabi. " _Even if Pakkun does warn them, they're not gonna be able to get away."_ He used a Shadow Clone and rushed off as the Clone attacked Inabi.

Itachi meanwhile while clashing with Yashiro who was getting frustrated being unable to keep up with Itachi but things were about to get worse for him. Sitka dropped kicked him while he was focused on Itachi and slammed him into the wall where he pinned Yashiro pressing his Pole arm to his throat.

"Itachi go!" Sitka shouted. "I know you don't think you can win against Fugaku but you're their best bet until Mom and Lord Third show up, hurry!"

The gears turned in Itachi's head quickly and he nodded having weighed their options quickly he disappeared. "You damn brat!" Yashiro shouted kicking Sitka in the stomach making him back away and cough having the wind knocked out of him. "You're just as much of a meddler as your bitch of a mother!"

Sitka glared he tightened Chakra into his fist and slammed it into Yashiro's face and sent him flying down the hall breaking through the wall. Sitka panted a little. " _Keep calm, I've gotta fight him and Inabi now…"_

 **X X X**

Pakkun rushed through the halls quickly sniffing the kids out and rushed down the hall where he saw roots fly out only to get burned away.

He rushed over towards the root's point of origin finding Kiki fighting her way up with Naruto behind her. "That's one of Kakashi's Ninja hounds ya know!" Naruto shouted suddenly noticing him.

"I can't really look right now Naruto!" she shouted rushing and clashing Kunai with Kaizuki. She kicked him away as Pakkun got to Naruto's side.

"Where's Riku!?" Pakkun shouted, that got Kiki's attention.

"He talks!?" Kiki yelped astonished. Only to get punched in the gut before Kaizuka could attack further she wove hand signs and in her place was a log.

"He went to fight a kid named Sasuke and they ran up ahead we're trying to catch up with him believe it!" Naruto quickly explained just going with the revelation of one of Kakashi's dogs talking as he pulled out a Kunai.

He rushed at Kaizuka who was pushing against Kiki. He slashed at him however Kaizuki dodged thanks to his Sharingan catching the movements. "Like you can hit me while I have the Sharingan?" he sneered as he kicked Naruto away. However he was grabbed by one of Kiki's Roots he pulled at it she struggled to keep it tight.

Meanwhile, Riku and Sasuke were trading blows in the hall as he kicked the other boy away, Riku jumped his Sharingan scanning him but Sasuke moved quickly. Like a blur he pulled out a Kunai with an explosion tag that Riku barely dodged keeping his eye on the explosion tag he was kicked in the face by Sasuke who had moved in and sent him flying into a small shallow pool below.

The sound of the wall exploding had alerted the other three Kaizuki rushed to overtake Riku while Naruto and Kiki rushed after him.

"No you don't, _**Shadow Clone Jutsu**_!" Naruto shouted summoning several of himself to attack and push down Kaizuki however he forced them off. He growled at them.

"You want a fight with me! Then lets fight!" he shouted, rushing at them with high speed putting his arms out and catching them on the neck and making them hit the ground hard coughing. Kaizuki turned and wove hand signs.

" _ **Fire Style Dragon breath Jutsu**_!" he shouted sending an intense burst of White and blue fire.

" _ **Water Style Water Wall Jutsu!"**_ Kiki shouted causing a wall of water to block the attack. Naruto threw shuriken but Kaizuki deflected them easily and smirked.

"I feel sorry for the two of you, neither of you have a Sharingan!" he sneered but suddenly he was ensnared by roots and he struggled.

"You're not very smart are you?" Kiki growled Kaizuki realized that Naruto was just distracting him as Kiki wove hand signs and trapped him.

"Let me out of here you brat!" he shouted struggling. Kiki glared and used Chakra to power up a jump with her leg going up.

"Why don't you take a nap!" she shouted on the final word kicked him into the ground.

 **X X X**

Riku found himself being pushed back by Sasuke, he was faster and able to detect to his attacks to the point he was almost untouchable. But Riku was tenacious, managing to get a couple of hits in and right now they were grappling with a kunai trying to push against the other. "Are you holding back?" Sasuke asked. "Or are you just not able to beat me!" Riku glared pushing as hard as he could.

"It doesn't….have to be this way!" Riku growled out.

"Yes it does," Sasuke retorted kicking Riku into a Tree and throwing his Kunai making Riku roll out of the way. "Isis betrayed us all,"

"You betrayed us first!" Riku growled, as Kiki and Naruto rushed up finding them.

"Riku!" Naruto shouted rushing in but Riku held out his hand.

"No this is my fight!" Riku stated.

"At least you have more honor, then her!" Sasuke replied.

"You're not one to talk Sasuke! Your dad tried to brain wash me and Sitka! And now you're trying to use Naruto against his father!" Riku snarled.

Sasuke laughed, "You really think that's why he took him, from what I heard he was crying his eyes out outside your village."

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted indignantly.

"Wait the Fox that's what you wanted?!" Kiki asked. "You can't hope to control that thing!"

"My Father can, there's a reason in the war he was referred to as 'Wicked Eye Fugaku'. He had some of the most powerful Genjutsu in the Uchiha Clan…No all of the Land of Fire, if not the world!" Sasuke proudly declared.

Kiki growled putting an arm out in front of Naruto as Riku glared the blonde watching in awe. Riku rushed at Sasuke only to be knocked back with ease. He blocked a couple of punches but they were purposely slower. Sasuke was patronizing him.

"My Sharingan is fully realized," he said kicking Riku in the side before he could react. He growled holding his side and weaving hand signs for a fire ball but Sasuke jumped over it Riku lunged at him but Sasuke held his fist.

"My Sharingan predicts moves faster than yours," His eyes lit up a bit making Riku's head spin. "My Genjutsu us also stronger like this as well, you can't defeat me."

Riku resisted glaring. "Yes….I…CAN!" he shouted head-butting Sasuke hard and rushing forward landing a combo while he was still disoriented. Riku used his chakra to amp his speed and knock him back as hard as he could, Sasuke slammed against the wall. With a groan, Sasuke slid down and let out a weak moan as he passed out.

Riku panted as he relaxed looking at Sasuke with a sad look that Kiki and the others noticed. Pakkun started to growl as Fugaku came forward, he didn't say anything but his eyes were zeroed in on Naruto.

"Don't look him in the eye whatever you do." Kiki whispered. Pakkun suddenly jumped at Fugaku but a well-placed back hand sent him into a tree with a whine. "No!" she cried out.

Riku got between them with his Kunai. "Stay bac-" with a cough he grabbed Riku by the neck Kiki gasped and rushed summoning a bunch of roots to attack Fugaku but he burnt them away with Amaterasu making Kiki back up and end up grabbed by the neck as well.

"Naruto….run!" she grunted out trying to breath as Naruto stared in horror he rushed at them only a shadow clone of Fugaku to appear and knock him back no matter what he did the clone of Fugaku kept knocking him down. He got to his knees seeing Fugaku squeezing the life out of his team mates.

" _Let them go…"_ he screamed in his mind as anger boiled within him. The words of the monster of standing by and doing nothing to help his team mates rang in his ears. _"let them go…..let them….._ ARRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGGGGG!" To everyone's surprise bright orange Chakra suddenly started to spin around him.

Fugaku in surprise dropped the two, his crimson eyes seeing the snarling form of a fox within the charka coming off him. The two caught their breath and looked over at their team mate, who seemed to be changing. Naruto's hair stuck out straight behind him the two largest tuffs almost acting like pointed ears. His canines were sharper, his nails had become claws and the whisker like marks on his face had become more pronounced. But the most striking feature of this new form were a pair of red eyes with slitted pupils. The Chakra had struck the Shadow Clone of Fugaku instantly killing it.

"What the hell…." Fugaku whispered his Sharingan scanning this new development. "This is chakra….but it's certainly not the boy's, could it be…" he muttered. Riku's was scanning it as well Kiki was mesmerized by it. Chakra couldn't normally be seen but he could tell she could see it too.

"Riku, There right above him!" Kiki cried out right above Naruto the Chakra had taken a shape all three gasped when it took on the shape of a Fox.

 **X X X**

Itachi ran as fast as he could trying to find the three. He could hear Tsume's group fighting other rogue Uchiha. However as he did he suddenly sensed a foul energy surge around it was coming from just beyond the cliff in front of him. In fact he could see two thick ribbons of Chakra twirling in a dance around each other and forming a fox head. He gasped, remembering it from many years ago as he, his mother, and infant brother fled from it. "It can't be…" he muttered rushed towards it as fast as he could.

Sitka's Shadow clone had finally taken down Yashiro and dismissed itself as Sitka clashed with Inabi. "Damn it, I thought he'd never go down!" he growled gaining a slight second wind. However all four sensed the evil presence.

"What the hell is that!?" Inabi asked.

"It feels evil….I'm not sure what this is…" Tekka shouted. "Let's get everyone out of here." Inabi nodded and grabbed Yashiro fleeing to evacuate the complex.

"Hey wait!" Sitka shouted as they disappeared.

"Forget them! We've got other things to worry about!" Kakashi said his tone extremely urgent, "of all the times for the seal to break why when Fugaku's around?!"

"Seal what seal?!" Sitka asked confused. Kakashi suddenly ran. "Hey, wait for me!" he shouted rushing after him.

 **X X X**

Naruto roared, running on all fours right at them and suddenly disappeared, only to reappear head-butting Fugaku in the gut and knocking him back into the rock wall hard. "Wholly crap!" Riku gasped. Fugaku pulled himself to his feet and barely dodged a punch from Naruto which shattered the rocks around him. Kiki and Riku stared in awe.

"What's happening to him?" Kiki muttered.

"I don't know…" Riku whispered barely able to keep up with Naruto's new found speed.

"Fire Style Fire ball Jutsu!" Fugaku shouted hitting Naruto with the large range attack and knocking him back he was steaming but didn't seem worse for wear.

"Fugaku could still kill him, worse he could take control of him, we've gotta get Naruto to run." Kiki muttered as Riku rushed out.

"Naruto, leave him we've gotta go!" Riku shouted rushing at him as Naruto stood ready to pounce he suddenly saw Riku pulling on his arm. "Let's go you're not match for- ACK!" Riku was suddenly backhanded and sent tumbling across the ground. Kiki screamed, however he was caught by Itachi. "Good Catch…" Riku muttered standing up after he placed him down. Naruto was still attacking Fugaku who was clearly trying to get ready to use his Genjutsu. Itachi immediately moved to engage his father while Kiki rushed to her friend.

"Sorry Naruto this is for your own good." She said as she wove hand signs summoning roots that grabbed Naruto by the ankle and pulled him away. He slashed them away with his claws and charged at Kiki with sheer fury in his eyes, Riku used chakra to increase his speed and get between them.

"NARUTO!" he shouted his Sharingan glowing brightly he made eye contact with Naruto just in time. The world seemed to slowdown. But then Riku suddenly found himself in dimly light yellow area with water up to his ankles and pipes everywhere, in front of him was Naruto lying on the ground unconscious. "Naruto!" he shouted rushing over and cradling him a bit. "Hey you okay, wake up!"

"Mmrrrrggnnn, Ri…ku?" he asked looking up at him. His eyes crystal blue and back to normal.

"Yeah that's right," Riku replied sighing in relief.

"Wait, how'd you get here?!" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. You almost attacked Kiki so I just…" He muttered noticing for the first time a large cage door with a seal on it they stood up to stare into the large red eyes staring back at them. The same ones Naruto had. "Well that explains a lot…" Riku muttered subconsciously, rubbing his cheek from where Naruto had hit him.

" _The Sharingan huh…?"_ the Kyubi spoke.

"So you're the Ninetailed Fox..." Riku muttered.

" _Impressive you can see inside his mind, a testament to that damned legacy of yours, the Sharingan."_ The Kyubi replied.

"You know of the Sharingan?" Riku asked curiously.

" _Oh yes, I know that damned eye of yours all too well,"_ the Kyubi sneered. " _And I'm not particularly fond of that kekkei genkai of the girl's either, she's a Senju is she not?"_

"Yeah what about it?" Riku growled.

" _Humph,"_ the Kyubi sighed one of its many tails twitching in annoyance. _"No wonder they paired the two of you up with him. They're afraid of me escaping,"_ he suddenly chuckled. " _They should be. Still your energies aren't as foul as Madara Uchiha's… no one here is not even the man who calls himself Wicked Eye Fugaku."_

"Not even Fugaku wants anything to do with Madara!" Riku growled insulted by the comparison.

" _He's a part of your legacy whether you like it or not, in fact if anyone speaks the word Uchiha he's the first things they think of."_ The Kyubi said matter-of-factly.

Riku's Sharingan glared hard, he could feel it pushing against the Kyubi's Chakra until it was at the far back of the cage. "He might be but me and Kohona Uchiha will never take his path!" he growled.

The Kyubi hummed, _"To think you'd be able to suppress me with a pair of middle stage Sharingan...You should be grateful to the 4th Hokage for making this damned seal so potent...But know this... the seal won't last forever..."_

And just like that the world returned to normal, Naruto out cold in Kakashi's arms, Riku held his head it now having a pounding headache especially behind his eyes. "Ugghhh, what just happened…?"

"You tell us," Kakashi replied. "According to Kiki, Itachi showed up just as you guys locked eyes but then a couple of Fugaku's goons showed up telling them they had to run because Lady Isis and the Hokage arrived. Sasuke saw his brother but got pulled away and Itachi went after them. Sitka followed."

"My mother and the Hokage are here?!" Riku said in awe.

"Yeah and so is Lady Kushina and Lord Hiroshi." Kakashi added as they all showed up right on cue.

"Daddy!" Kiki cried out as Hiroshi rushed to her. Everyone who came for Naruto seemed to regroup around them. Naruto who had just woken up again groaned holding his head and saw them. He hung his head.

"Hey guys, sorry I caused you so much trouble…" He muttered sadly but Kushina grabbed and nearly crushed him in a tight hug.

"It's okay…ya know…" she muttered her voice trembling she let out a sob.

"Mom, don't cry because if you cry, I'm gonna cry believe it.." Naruto sniffled.

Riku?" Isis asked.

"I think…I suppressed the Kyubi back inside him, I'm not sure how." Riku replied.

"Oh!" Isis muttered in surprise and hugged him just happy he was alright.

Watching from above was an unknown Ninja, the moonlight shining against something on his face. "He beat someone with a fully evolved Sharingan and suppressed the Kyubi, looks like he might be the one, this will be interesting…" he said with a smirk.

 **X X X**

"Father, Sasuke!" Itachi shouted as he got in front of them. The two older Uchiha glared but Sasuke was stunned.

"Itachi…you're alive….but father told me-" Sasuke started but Fugaku cut him off.

"I said he was dead too us, perhaps I should've been clearer. Sasuke, your brother betrayed us." Fugaku replied simply.

"No that was you, because you made such a rash decision." Itachi said. "We could've worked things out with Lord Minato."

"I've heard it all from Isis!" Fugaku growled. "All of you betrayed us! The Uchiha clan is supposed to have an unbreakable bond with each other but all of you traitors threw that away!" He shouted as Sasuke stared absorbing all of this.

"We had no other choice! It was either that or death!" Itachi shouted, "What you were going to do would've cause disaster for the village down the road, as powerful as you are you can't fight every single village off!"

"We would have! Between myself and Isis, no one would've stood against us!" Fugaku shouted.

"Are you so arrogant that you're blind to the abilities of your opposition?!" Itachi shouted. "If you are you're a bigger fool than I thought," Itachi extended a hand. "Sasuke come back to the village with my, I promise you won't be harmed."

"No Sasuke he's lying to you!" Fugaku quickly warned. Sasuke hung his head, he thought for a moment.

"Sasuke please….I miss you…" Itachi spoke quietly.

"DO YOU!?" he suddenly said. "If you cared that much you never would've split our family in two! Do you want to know how I got my Sharingan, being suddenly forced from my home, going away from all of our friends and family while our closest friends not only get to stay together but threw us under the bridge! I spent years thinking you were dead and you show up years later expecting me to come crawling back to you!? Well forget it!" he snarled, "I've made my choice, we have to go father!" Fugaku nodded, turning to leave. Sitka had appeared just in time to witness this.

"Sasuke please reconsider, it's not like that it killed him to send you guys away all of us we never-"

"SCREW OFF SITKA AND SHUT YOUR FACE!" Sasuke snarled before disappearing for good. Sitka stared in shock, Itachi who was staring at the ground tears falling from his face. Sitka looked away, unsure how to console his friend.

 **X X X**

Kushina explained what had happened the night of Naruto's birth to the trio. They were shocked and surprised but it explained so much. Naruto still looked a little shaken from the events. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way Naruto, but we're here for you and so are your friends." Kushina said as Naruto hugged her tightly her returning the embrace.

"The Kyubi said that you guys paired Naruto up with us because you were scared of it getting out." Riku said as they all sat together in the Hokage office

"Well that is true, it was Minato's idea." Hiruzen replied. "The story was to balance out test scores was the lowest with highest, due to this actually being the case years ago. However…" Hiruzen said showing Naruto his test scores he had scored decently about seventy eight to eighty two percent.

"If you hadn't had the Kyubi inside of you, you'd be paired with Yoshi Sarutobi and Nika Arkura, and Miss Haruno would be paired with Kiki and Riku.

"Interesting," Kakashi hummed.

"That doesn't explain why us though." Kiki replied, "I also know that when the Kyubi had control of Naruto it didn't like my wood style and reacted violently when I tried to restrain him with it."

"It might have something to do with Uchiha's and the Senju clan's kekkei genkai having the power to suppress and control the tailed beasts." Hiroshi said his chin in his hand.

"I'm very surprised and impressed Riku figured out how to do that on instinct." Isis said as Riku scratched the back of his head blushing.

"I just didn't want Kiki and Naruto getting hurt." He replied simply. "I'm not sure I could do it again especially on command."

"You were more worried for Kiki though, right?" Naruto teased.

"Don't start," Riku and Kushina warned.

"Oh! I remember something Danzo said too me. Great Grandpa captured all the tailed beasts and gave most of them away as a peace offering but it didn't work in the long run." Kiki said.

"There's a special technique you could possible learn later Kiki passed down in our family it's called the Tenth Edict of Enlightenment. It's what he uses the control the tailed beasts." Hiroshi eplained

"That's right, and it's through the power of Sharingan Genjutsu that allows a powerful Uchiha like Madara and possibly even Fugaku to control the tailed beasts, we were very lucky…" Hiruzen sighed. "Minato made the seal so that the Kyubi's power would mix with Naruto's. But there's a dangerous drawback, and as you witnessed, the seal has weaken over time."

"He's gotta learn how to control it before then?! Is that even possible?!" Ryuto asked nervously.

"Minato believes in him." Kushina said, "I wasn't for this at first but I trust him believe it!" Naruto sighed, "There is something that can counter the Kyubi's hatred." Kushina told him rubbing his shoulder.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"Love, and you have plently of it, she said making him smile.

* * *

 _ **I'm sorry! T_T but for Sasuke turning good there's canon and don't worry I'll have the root cause for you later! That way you can mercilessly beat on it. Happy Holidays everyone!**_

 _ **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**_


	21. A New Chapter! The Chunin Exams begin!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Characters and Idea by Freelancer_

* * *

 _ **New chapter! The Chunin Exams begin!**_

It had been a couple of weeks. But soon when they could return to missions, Naruto had woken up feeling completely recharged taking on the new day with absolute vigor to where Riku had to stop him from pulling up herbs in a garden they were weeding by mistake. Tora had gotten out again much to Naruto's annoyance. Today went by fast despite the missions being nothing but chores. "Man I don't know how to feel. I hate this boring missions but I'm okay with not doing something crazy like Zabuza and Fugaku." Kiki sighed.

"It's like we want middle of the road, ya know." Naruto agreed.

"Yeah I know the feeling," Riku sighed. "Kakashi Sensei, when do you think we'll start getting C rank missions or something more our pace that's not, well, yard work?"

Kakashi had his nose in his book but heard the last thing Riku said and looked over the top at the young Uchiha. "What, stopping Naruto from getting over excited and ripping out herbs wasn't exciting enough for you?" He teased.

"Not, really no," Riku deadpanned.

There was a caw in the air they all looked up to see a Hawk slowly circling around. Kakashi looked up at is as well. "Okay guys let's call it a day you can ask me about Missions some other time." He said "I have to make a report of this mission."

"Alright see ya." Riku waved as he left. "I'll go train some more," as he went to leave he noticed Kiki watching the hawk carefully. Across the village other Jonin teachers were seeing it as well. Takuto watched it and glanced over at his students who were exhausted a bit of a wreck under the shade of a tree, Tiko watching and chattering at the bird.

"That's not for you!" Takuto said sharply making him stop and flatten his ears but he went back to watching it quietly.

 **X X X**

Asuma was watching as his own students were having a drink with Choji happily eating a bag of chips. Looking upwards, both he and Kurenai saw the bird flying to the tower. "Hmm I wonder…" she said smirking to herself as her own squad practiced.

Itachi who was high on the power pole watching the Village from up high saw the Hawk fly towards the Leaf Police station where Isis was working at this time.

" _So it's about to begin…."_ Itachi thought to himself.

 **X X X**

"That Hawk…I wonder…" Kiki muttered to herself.

"Huh what's so special about it?" Naruto asked.

"My Dad told me that the Hokage would send out a messenger hawk to gather the Jonin for something important like the Chunin exams. So I wonder if something's come up," Kiki replied.

"That would explain why Kakashi cut the day short, and you might as well hand in the mission report while you're at it." Riku said agreeing when something tapped at his leg. He glanced over to see a square rock trying to blend in with the road around it and failing in response the box immediately backed up behind the corner of the fence. "You're too late I know you're there."

"Yeah and that's the worst disguise I've ever seen!" Naruto added as Kiki's attention had been turned to the box.

"You and your friends saw through my camouflage! You guys are slick boss just what I'd expect from my rival." said a high pitched voice in the box but deep enough to be boyish.

"Did that box just call you its rival?" Riku asked with an arched eyebrow. It exploded open to reveal three nine year olds. The colored smoke flew up all over yellow, blue and pink. They could feel it around them, making it hard to breathe as they coughed.

"I think we used too much gun powder you guys." The brunette coughed. He wore a yellow shirt and grey shorts with a large blue scarf around his neck hanging down around his feet. The girl had her orange hair tied up in large pig tails that stuck up diagonally at the top of her head. She wore a pink shirt with a red scarf and brown pants. The other boy looked like he was suffering from allergies with a runny nose, but he wore a simple blue sweater and black pants.

Riku recognized them as the freshman class in the academy. Having just entered a couple of years ago; but on top of that one of them Konohamaru was the third Hokage's grandson. The girl was from Kiki's clan on her mother's side. He hadn't really met the third however.

"I am Moegi, the sassiest Kunoichi in the academy!" she stated striking a pose where she stood on one leg the other folded, her left hand on her hip the other slightly bent on the wrist and out; With her own scarf flowing behind her.

"I'm the smartest and love math!" said the boy with glasses as he back flipped and crouched down before striking a post with his arms folded around him. "Udon!"

"And I'm the number one Ninja in the village, Konohamaru! And together we are the Konohamaru Ninja squad!" they shouted together.

"Yeah I knew it was you guys, Konohamaru." Naruto replied simply.

There was a silence as Riku and Kiki observed the four. He noticed suddenly what they were all wearing. "Hey what are those things? Those goggles you wear on your head."

"They kind of look like the goggles you used to wear Naruto." Kiki pointed out.

"Yeah what she said! We're copying you." Konohamaru stated as Naruto looked at them closely.

"Oh yeah that's neat." Naruto replied uninterested.

"Hey come on boss!" Konohamaru whined, "Why are you being like that? You ought to be more excited!"

"So did you want something?" Naruto replied.

"He's just trying to be cool!" Konohamru stated.

"You know what we want, are you busy now?" Moegi asked.

"I have to train believe it!" Naruto replied pumping his arms.

"What! But you promised you'd play Ninja with us today!" Konohamru argued.

"Oh did I say that?" Naruto asked nervously chuckling. " _Darn it if I say yes than these kids will keep bugging me and I won't get any training done!"_

" _A Ninja playing Ninja….there's an inception joke in there somewhere…"_ Riku thought to himself raising an eyebrow.

"I was feeling like pounding some fodder for the heck of it and here you all are!" jeered a voice. "How convenient for me!" it was Kala, he was by himself this time. But he still had a look of sadistic glee in his eyes ready to enjoy tormenting them.

"Hmph!" Kiki growled turning to him. "Don't you have some training to do?"

"I do, you're all my targets." Kala replied snidely.

The older kids gathered around the younger ones as they winced in fear and cowered. Kala smirked as the other three Genin kept an eye on him. He suddenly rushed up and went to strike Riku but Kiki knocked him away. He growled rushing at Kiki and hitting her arms she yelped as her arms went limp.

"Kiki!" Moegi shouted as she fell to her knees.

"Heh let's see how good you are without your precious wood style." Kala sneered as he rushed to attack them both however Naruto responded quickly.

" _ **Wind Style gale palm Jutsu!"**_ Naruto put as much Chakra into the attack as possible, hurling him away and into someone. As Riku helped Kiki, the group rushed to see who Naruto had accidentally sent Kala into.

"Sorry my bad but he started it ya know!" he called but saw two ninja he didn't recognize as Kala got up and stared at them his attention now on them.

"Who the hell are you?" Kala growled. One of the ninja, the one he bumped into, was one who wore all black including a pointed hood a circle half red and half yellow on the torso. With purple markings on his face and lips. On his back with something wrapped in bandages with a tuft of hair sticking out the top.

"Do you need something?" he asked.

The one standing beside him was a blond girl. With a purple long sleeved dress with a mesh of netting around her shoulders holding her shirt on her shoulders with her Ninja headband. Her waist had a red sash tied tightly around it with the knot and ribbons hanging out from the back. She also wore a navy short skirt with a slit in the side; brown sandals with one leg of ninja netting from under the skirt and the other around her calf. Both of their headbands had an hour glass shape with a rim on the top.

" _They're from the Hidden Sand Village….but what are they doing here?"_ Kiki asked watching them closely.

"What are a bunch of punks like you doing in _our_ village? No one asked you to be here! Now get out!" Kala growled. "Unless you want to be sent back in a match box." He added with a sneer.

 **X X X**

"Thanks for the report Kakashi." Iruka replied as he placed it down. "By the way how's Naruto doing since a week ago?"

"He's been doing well. He's been getting along with his teammates alright and they've supported him through the incident. Something I've noted though is that Naruto wants to catch up to Riku and Kiki so it pushes him to excel. With that he's making amazing progress, one day his skills will be so great they might match the person he respects the most."

"Yeah, his father…" Iruka said looking at the ceiling with a thoughtful look. The hawk was flying around the window still calling out to Jonin. Kakashi saw it his eyes narrowing.

 **X X X**

Kala was sent flying in the wall from a simple well timed punch. He laid there limp. The boy before them had infused Chakra to hit harder and faster. Kala hadn't been able to counter in time. He smirked looking at the on lookers. "So who's next?" the boy in black sneered.

"Kankuro enough, we'll get yelled at later." The girl said in an annoyed tone.

"Relax Temari he isn't here, what he doesn't know won't kill us."

"Wouldn't that be him?" Udon asked fearfully. Kankuro smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He smirked as he walked towards the group but Riku quickly moved between them.

"Look, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and believe you were given permission to be here. Seeing as how you're from the Hidden Sand and all; however we won't tolerate you antagonizing anyone here for no reason. So walk away or I will take action. Riku warned in a threatening tone.

"Annoying little punk," Kankuro growled. "I don't like punks who run off their mouths." Riku just glared at him. "And you're the kind of punk I hate the most. All attitude and no talk." He said pulling off the thing on his back.

"You're gonna use Krow?" Temari grabbed him by the shoulder, "Kakuro, stop it."

"This punk needs to be put in his place, only way to do that is beat him till he runs off like a dog with his tail between his legs." Kankuro replied.

"Ugh whatever, I'm not involved in this." Temari groaned.

"Kankuro, enough" came a younger raspy voice, making everyone turn to the tree. There was a boy with deep red hair and a scarred symbol on his head for 'love' of all things, with thick black bags around his eyes. The color of which were frozen pools of glacier ice. He also had a black jump suit with pockets and a white sash hanging around his waist and shoulder. Hanging from a thick belt slung diagonally across his chest was a large light brown colored gourd on his back.

Everyone gasped as his glare narrowed in on Kankuro who cowered under it. "Uhh hey Garaa.." he muttered fearfully.

Riku's eyes narrowed on the red head. " _How'd he get there without making a sound….only Jonin at Mom and Kakashi's level are that smooth."_

He glanced at them. As Kiki narrowed her eyes, trying to hide her injury, Naruto got into a fighting stance.

 **X X X**

"I have summoned you for a very important purpose. Seeing your fellow Jonin here I'm sure you realize what this is about." Hiruzen told them sitting with the other two elders as they addressed those they had summoned. The Village Jonin, members of the Jonin Council with Tsume, Isis, Ryuto, Hiroshi and the Jonin teachers and others among them.

"So soon, I'd thought we'd have a bit more time," Kakashi muttered surprised.

"I take it the other villages have been notified as well. I even saw some of their Genin enter the village." Asuma added.

"And when do we start?" Kurenai asked.

"In one week," Hiruzen replied.

"That's really short notice," Isis muttered.

Hiruzen blew out smoke from his pipe as he made an official announcement. "Take heed exactly seven days from today on the first day of July the Genin will be gathered and tested. Only the very best will be selected as Chunin."

 **X X X**

"You're an embarrassment to our village." The boy drawled in a low threatening tone. "Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?"

"I'm sorry Garaa," Kankuro stuttered, "I…I didn't forget it was that other boy he started the whole thing really! See here's what happened-"

"Shut up." Garaa growled glaring a death glare right at him, making him cower with visible fear on his face. "Or I'll _kill_ you."

Kiki gasped. " _He's not serious is he!?"_

"Ri…right, I'm sorry I was totally out of line." he begged. Gaara turned to the others but didn't move down from the tree.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused." He said politely.

" _This guy has an evil look in his eye…."_ Riku thought to himself watching him carefully.

" _He moved between them within half a second and he's one of the famous Uchiha."_ He glanced over at Kiki " _She's been injured and yet she's making it look like nothing's happening, definitely ones to keep an eye on."_ Garaa thought, his eyes not leaving Riku.

Gaara, in a burst of sand, moved down from the trees and landed by his team mates. "Let's go, we didn't come here to play games." He said glaring at them both.

"Ye…yeah I get it!" Kankuro said as they began to leave.

"Wait!" Kiki called.

"What?" Temari asked as they stopped.

"Why were you invited to the village?" She asked. "You're not intruders, are you?"

Temari smirked. "Far from it, but it sounds like you've all been living under a rock. You don't know what's going on do you?" she said the three turned and showed off their passes. "We have permission and we're here for the Chunin exams."

"That's already!?" Naruto piped excitedly "Finally, mom mentioned they should be starting soon. Time to become a chunin"

Garaa's cold eyes examined the blond. " _He doesn't look worth killing, the other two though."_

"Well now that that's settled, let's take care of you." Riku said to Kiki who nodded feeling her arms tingle with pain a bit as they left Naruto and the young trio went to follow but Garaa called out.

"Wait the two of you, identify yourselves." Garaa called. The two calmly turned and looked.

"I am Riku Uchiha."

"And I am Kiki Senju, what about you?" Kiki asked.

"I am Garaa of the desert." He replied.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto introduced himself as well

"Hmph, I couldn't care less" Garaa said as he and his teammates disappeared.

"Hey get back here!" Naruto shouted as Garaa left, making him growl in annoyance

"Uh Naruto, shouldn't we get Kiki some help for her arms?" Riku asked a little bit impatiently.

"Oh yeah, let's do that." he said as the group ran off being watched.

"What do you think Dosu?" one ninja with a tanned shirt with red markings and grey and black spotted pants and scarf asked his mummified comrade with long sleeves over his arms that hung around him with a large fur collar. Their third Team mate was a girl wearing a grey and black spotted jump suit with black boots and a green vest.

"The blonde doesn't look like he's much trouble, but the boy and girl from the Uchiha and Senju clans and the desert rat we should watch them carefully." He said his cold thin eye watching them carefully.

"There you go Miss Senju." the healer said after the chakra points were reopened in her arm she flexed them and smiled. "Good as new thank you so much!"

"Hey Naruto, why don't you go play with them? You can try to use some of the games for training," Riku suggested.

"Maybe you can teach them some real tricks about being a ninja while you're at it." Kiki added

"That's a great idea!" Konohamaru said ecstatically as Naruto grinned nodding. "Let's go!" he shouted as the four ran off. Riku and Kiki watched them go.

 **X X X**

"Alright it is time we chose our candidates for the Chunin examinations." Hiruzen said. "To begin will those in charge of the rookie Genin step forward." The four did so, Kakashi, Kurenai, Takuto Yuzaki and Asuma; what do you say? Are there any in your squads you'd recommend; that are ready for the exams despite their inexperience? As you know any Genin, that completes eight or more missions are technically eligible for the Examinations. Beyond that only you can decide when they are ready. Of course most Genin require a much longer period at least twice that many missions."

" _There's no need to say all this it's way too soon for their squads,"_ Iruka thought.

"So Kakashi you begin." Hiruzen said letting Kakashi step forward making a hand sign.

"I lead Squad Seven, Riku Uchiha, Kiki Senju, Naruto Uzumaki, I, Kakashi Hakate, recommend all three of these Genin for the Chunin selection exams."

"And my squad is number Eight," Kurenai began. "Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka; and now I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three!"

"I lead Squad Eleven, Sakura Haruno, Yoshi Sarutobi, Nika Arkura, and now I, Takuto Hyuga, recommend all three for the Examinations."

"And my Squad is team Ten, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi and now I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three." The other jonin started chattering amongst themselves all three rookie squads had been nominated this was unheard of.

"Wait Lord third!" a fourth voice rang out, revealing itself to be Iruka.

"With all due respect Lord Hokage, the twelve names that were just given were all my students. I know their skills and abilities and every one of them has great promise. But it's too soon!"

"When I was a Chunin, I was only six years younger than Naruto is now." Kakashi argued.

"Naruto is nothing like you!" Iruka snapped. "Are you trying to destroy him!?" he accused.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well they're always complaining about not being challenged enough. Maybe wiping out on the Exams will teach them a lesson. A little pain is good."

"What'd you say?!" Iruka snapped glaring at Kakashi.

"Oh nothing fatal of course," Kakashi replied. "But seriously Iruka, relax." Iruka growled at him. "I understand how you feel and it's very personal for you and it upsets you but-"

"Alright Kakashi back off, you've said enough." Kurenai said sternly turning to them.

"On the contrary Kurenai, Iruka needs to hear this. He needs to realize that they're not his students anymore, they're my soldiers." he said with finality.

"Kakashi has a point; all twelve have been out of his jurisdiction for some time now." Takuto added. Iruka let out another growl at both of them.

" _Enough already!"_ Asuma groaned inwardly.

"These exams could destroy them, you know that!" Iruka called out again. Kakashi stood his ground and wasn't backing down; Takuto crossed his arms as well.

"This isn't your decision to make Iruka, it's theirs if they wish to participate. They can either rise to the challenge or fall behind and try to pick themselves back up, if they can." Takuto said

 **X X X**

The three students sighed as they waited for Kakashi. "GAAAAH, why can't Kakashi ever show up on time for anything?!" Naruto shouted.

" _Kakashi why do you do this to us?"_ Riku sighed in his thoughts as Kakashi appeared.

"Hey guys sorry I'm late I-"Kakashi replied only for Kiki and Riku to cut him off.

"Got lost on the path to life," They said together making him sweat drop and clear his throat, he then leapt down to meet them face to face.

"I know this is sudden but I recommended you for the Chunin exams." Kakashi said showing up three slips of paper with writing. "These are the application forms." He said, handing them to the trio. "It's all voluntary; if you don't feel up to it you can wait till next year."

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto cheered, "Kakashi sensei you rock!"

"Whoever wants to take the Chunin exams fill out the application and come to room '301' at the academy it's at three PM five days from now that's it." Kakashi explained

The trio said goodbye to Kakashi, Naruto was excited burning up at the thought of proving himself to the world, but more importantly, his father Minato. As he said, becoming Chunin would be the next step into becoming Hokage. He had his eyes on the application. "Chunin exams, I'll be going up against a bunch of wicked Ninja," He then thought to himself. " _Like that guy with the mummy on his back. Or even Kiki and Riku."_

"We might have to fight each other in the Chunin exams, so let's all do our best and not hold back!" Kiki said happily.

"Yeah what she said!" Naruto declared feeling exhilarated as he began to dream.

" _Way to go Naruto, I'm proud of you"_ _Minato stood over Naruto, putting his hand on his head and smiling at him as the crowd cheered._

Riku looked down at his own application as Naruto seemed lost in his thoughts and dreams. "This'll _be exciting… That Garaa kid was something else; I hope at least one of us gets to fight him._ "He said to himself, thinking about the red head whose look he had burned into his mind. He definitely seemed like a serious ninja if he could command attention like that… but there was something about him that worried Riku a bit.

And soon after even he and Kiki noticed Genin arriving in the village in droves.

 **X X X**

Hiruzen was going over paper work when the door opened he looked up to see Hiroshi and Isis. "I take it you two have questions." He replied simply.

"I do," Hiroshi replied simply. "I know that the Chunin Exams were made by my Uncle for two reasons. One to prevent needless casualties by ensuring young Shinobi would be ready to take on more difficult missions. The other is deterring other Nations from invading us by showing our potential Next Generation of Chunin and even the skills of our Genin."

"That is correct, but what does that have to do with what you are, waiting to ask me?" Hiruzen asked.

"Which village is acting up?" Hiroshi asked bluntly.

"What makes you think any of them would be?" Isis asked.

"The Chunin Exams usually wouldn't be for another month. But here we are." Hiroshi replied seriously not taking his eyes off Hiruzen.

"I know you're worried about Kiki, but you need to believe in her just as your Uncle believed in me. But I will say this much. There is a new village that has been added to the map, the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Rice Fields.

"So that's it," Hiroshi muttered.

"I had heard rumors of a new village that was seeking notary, but I didn't know the name." Isis mused.

Hiruzen nodded. "They were recently inaugurated into the village system, but we don't know if they're friend or foe so be on your guard."

"Sir!" both replied in a solider like manner.

 **X X X**

Iruka sighed in defeat as he left Kushina's home. He'd spoken with the parents of the several of those recommended, but none had wished their children to withdraw from the Chunin exams, on the contrary, they seemed all too proud of the genin for being good enough that their squad leaders recommended them. Kushina especially seemed to radiate confidence in Naruto's ability to see this to the end.

"Naruto's been working hard with me in his spare time for just this event" Kushina has given a proud smile, "I know he'll survive whatever the exams throw at him, ya know. Have a little faith in the kids Iruka."

He wanted to believe in his former students, but these exams were dangerous for a reason. He didn't want to see them get hurt or killed. Kakashi's and Takuto's words returned to him, this wasn't his choice to make… they needed to succeed or fail on their own…

 **X X X**

Tenten had expertly hit the center of the bulls-eye before her Teammate Lee arrived and spoke. "Did you hear, we're going to have first year rookies at the exam, that hasn't happened in five years!"

Tenten hummed in skepticism. "I bet it's just some Jonin trying to boost their egos." She replied.

"No there's more to the story than that, three of them are from Kakashi's squad." Lee stated. He was a tall young man with a bowl cut bushy eye brows and a green jumpsuit with his forehead protector around his waist. Tenten, who was about Sakura's age and Kiki's height with a pink sleeveless shirt and black ninja slacks.

"Really interesting," Said their third teammate Neji replied as he meditated wearing a cream white colored shirt with a headband with straps hanging from the side with his hair tied at the bottom in the back. He also wore black shorts. "Either way it's too bad for them." He smirked, assured in their victory, having trained longer and their own sensei having recommended them for the Chunin exams as well.

But if twelve Rookies had been recommended already they had to be good. So things would definitely be interesting.

* * *

 **This was late because I was playing KH3 sorry!**

* * *

 **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**


	22. The Unstoppable Hard Worker! Rock Lee!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up idea and some characters by Freelancer1989_

* * *

 _ **The Unstoppable Hard worker! Enter Rock Lee!**_

The time had finally come for the group to hand in their applications. Naruto had been waiting for them since before even the sun had come up. Riku and Kiki had found him sleeping on the bridge. Riku felt like they should've done something but Naruto was a stubborn boy especially when it came to pursuing his dreams. There was no way he was going to miss this! They had been classmates before so, the two had known for quite a while that Naruto wanted desperately to set himself apart from his father; To be seen for his own skills not just the son of the legendary yellow flash. It was kind of sad only a few in the village knew his name. On top of that he had another reason to make his own legacy. Another being to set himself apart from one who could and does take how the village viewed him far in the opposite direction; The Ninetailed Fox.

"You guys ready?" Riku asked determinedly.

"I was born ready! Practically born with a kunai in my mouth believe it!" Naruto said excitedly.

"I don't think any sensible mother would allow that, no matter how skilled the baby is." Kiki teased.

"You know what I mean!" Naruto retorted as they headed to the academy.

As they got in they noticed a bunch of the candidates watching nervously there was chattering among them something was happening. The trio made their way through the crowd just in time to notice a boy in a green jumpsuit get knocked back his team mate a girl in a pink sleeveless shirt with blue khakis and her hair in buns at the side of her head knelt down beside him.

"Heh, you're taking the Chunin exams but you can't even get past us?" The boy with a blue head scarf for his forehead protector sneered with swords on his back. With medium short brown hair and wearing a grey shirt with a large collar with a black skin tight suit around his lower jaw and neck sneered. "Why don't you give up now before you get hurt?"

"Yeah I think I hear your mommy calling." His partner jeered having a red nose with bandages on the side of his face with squinted eyes a grey shirt of his own and a pair of large Kunai hanging off his back.

"Please let us through, we have to go in there." Tenten said going forward only to be punched back a bit she managed to stay on her feet, Neji got to her side glaring at them.

"You think this is harsh, don't kid yourself. We're being nice by comparison." He sneered.

"Some of you won't even survive the exam others will be wrecked for life; some of you may even go crazy. For Chunin it's always life or death." The boy with the brown hair sneered.

"Do you think it's a joke?" His spiky haired friend asked. "Chunin are qualified to lead missions, your squad mate's lives are in your hands. Fragile little girls aren't allowed."

"We're just thinning out the herd; you won't pass anyway so go home and play with your dolls." The one with brown hair sneered.

Both Sakura's and Riku's squads walked over. Riku had heard everything when his eyes had narrowed he could've sword they were only on the first floor. But what bothered him more was what they were saying. " _They're already trying to raise their chances of passing by eliminating as much of the competition as possible. Sitka warned me the Chunin exams would be brutal but I didn't think it would happen this soon."_

"So anyone want to go home crying?" one of them asked, Riku stood up and marched forward.

"Real nice speech, now step aside and let us through." Riku growled Kiki and Naruto standing at his side.

"And while you're at it, reverse the genjutsu." Sakura added. "This is only the second floor." They all turned to her. People mumbled about being on the third floor.

"Well, well, you're little girl friend saw through the genjutsu huh?" The boy with bandages asked.

"That's Sakura for you, the sharpest mind and best analytical skills on our squad." Yoshi stated as Sakura nodded proudly; inside her mind however.

" _ **CHAAAAAAA!"**_ Inner Sakura cried happily. " _ **Score one for squad eleven!"**_

The genjutsu was reversed and Riku smiled it hadn't occurred to him to try and scope things out with his Sharingan. That would teach him to stay on his toes better. He had to be sharper than ever before if he had any hope of passing the exams.

"Well aren't you the smart one, seeing through the illusion, now let's see how you deal with this!" he shouted swinging around to launch a kick at Sakura and Yoshi. Riku jumped between them ready to counter attack with a kick of his own. Lee beat him too it; blocking both of their moves.

" _How'd he do that?"_ Sakura asked " _I thought he was some weakling getting knocked around but he's as fast as Nika and that Riku kid._ "

" _He stopped my kick, that's some chakra he's got in his arm…."_ Riku thought to himself as he was let go.

"Hey what happened to the plan, I thought you were the one who said we needed to keep a low profile!" Neji scolded.

"I know but…." Lee began, unable to argue further.

"Forget it, it's over." Tenten sighed shaking her head. The group looked at Squad seven; Lee seemed to be particularly interested in Kiki. Yoshi, however, noticed something off about him.

" _What happened to the bruises he had before, were they fakes?"_ He asked himself as Lee went over to Kiki.

"You're Kiki Senju, correct?" Tenten asked as Lee was watching Squad seven carefully.

"Yeah, that's me." She replied a little confused. Tenten grabbed her hands, looking absolutely star struck.

You're Lady Tsunade's niece. Please tell what you can about her, I want to know everything so I can be as strong of a Kunoichi as her! Or Better yet introduce me!"

"Uhhh I'm sorry, I've only heard of my Aunt, I've never met her personally. And I know she doesn't live in the village anymore."

"Oh I see…." Tenten sighed sadly. Riku sighed in relief. Naruto smirked at him but Riku gave him a death glare that made Naruto back off.

"Hey, you over here!" Neji called making Riku look in his and Tenten's direction. "What's your name?"

"It's common courtesy to give your own name first." Riku replied coolly.

"You're a rookie aren't you, how old are you?" Neji asked.

"Why does that matter?" Riku asked. Neji couldn't answer that but gave him a harsh glare.

"Hey, Riku, Naruto let's go!" Kiki said as they walked off.

"We're coming Kiki." Riku called, pulling Naruto along.

"Heh so those were the misfits Kakashi and Guy were raving about. Takuto's aren't too shabby either."

"Looks like they passed their first test getting their applications through." Said the other they changed where no one could see them dispelling the transformation jutsu and smiling. They were now much older and in grey military outfits.

"This year's Chunin exams are gonna be fun!" said the one with brown hair.

"Maybe for us but not for them." the other one pointed out with a smirk. The three headed off, Neji watched Riku's back and Kiki's seeing their Clan crests on their back. " _Kiki and Riku; of the Senju and Uchiha clans."_

Tenten smiled and turned to Neji. "Those were supposed to be the number one rookies you gonna challenge them?"

Neji smiled, with an 'hmph' sound like Tenten needed to ask. They started to walk to head for the third floor but Lee didn't move.

"Come on Lee, we're supposed to check in." Tenten said turning back to him.

"I will catch up with you in a minute. You do not need to wait for me I just need to check something." Lee replied turning towards the other side of the Hallway and leaving.

"What's that about?" Tenten asked turning back to Neji.

"I have no idea." Neji replied with a slight huff.

 **X X X**

The group continued on their way. Kiki hummed, Riku noticed and looked towards her; she had her hand on her chin. "You okay?"

"Yeah just thinking about what would happen if I fought Sakura. She's got some of the best Analytical skills among the whole group of graduates. And her Chakra control is just as good as mine, if not better… I heard they actually did pretty well on a C rank mission recently too" Kiki stated.

"I agree, we can't underestimate anyone," Riku agreed.

That sounds familiar" Naruto giggled, remembering how their first 'C-ranked' mission had turned out, "Hopefully theirs didn't turn into a surprise A-Rank like ours.". Riku let out a small laugh under his breath, however a voice rang out from above.

"You with the sharp eyes hold on!"

"Huh?" Riku asked turning around, making Kiki and Naruto follow suit. They saw the boy in the jumpsuit from before. Naruto got a closer look and yelped.

"Whoa, those eyebrows can't be real!" he yelled eyes as big as saucers his jaw hanging.

"Isn't that the guy from before?" Kiki asked glancing at Riku.

"Yeah," Riku muttered before looking right up at Lee. "Can I help you?"

"I want to fight right here and right now!" Lee replied firmly.

Lee jumped down effortlessly from the balcony to face them on the same ground. "My name is Rock Lee! You said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give his own name first, Riku Uchiha."

"Okay then Rock Lee, why do you want to fight, me?" Riku asked with a raised eye brow.

"Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how powerful they are. I want to see for myself if it is true!" Lee replied. "And Also…" he said turning to Kiki with blush stickers.

"Huh?" Kiki muttered in confusion blinking.

"I love you." He said, giving her a smile.

"HUH!?" Kiki half screamed in shock. She tried to compose herself but still looked pretty stunned by the suddenly confession. "Wait, what was that?!"

"You are an angel sent from heaven." he declared making a wink causing a small heart to appear. He blew it gently and it floated over to the stunned Kiki who was trying to wrap her head around what just happened. Almost as a blur, Riku jumped between her and the heart, backhanding it so hard it flew like a bullet into the wall. A small crater was formed the heart let out a pathetic squeak before sliding down the wall.

"Hey, back off pal. Ya don't just meet someone and say ya love them like that!" Riku snapped, sounding very annoyed. Naruto however suspected it had more to do with Riku's own feelings for Kiki and he gave a knowing smile.

"So we are rivals then." Lee said, turning his attention back to the Uchiha.

"What do you mean Rivals?" Riku asked hotly.

"You are one of the two number one rookies! I am the number one Genin and we both love Kiki!" Lee explained.

Riku pointed an accusatory finger, glaring eyes large and angry like a demons. "Okay you cut that out right now! You want to know more about my clan, then I'll teach you the hard way!" he growled.

"Bring it on!" Lee declared smirking getting into a fighting stance. " _Excellent! A match up with one of the two number one rookies! I will draw him out and get them to reveal his technique. And then I will prove myself to you Guy Sensei_!"

"Riku we're not supposed to challenge anyone!" Kiki warned. "We need to hand in our applications too."

"Don't worry, this won't take long." Riku replied cracking his knuckles and adopting a fighting stance.

Riku then took off running right at him charging up a punch. Lee held his ground however. " _Forgive me Guy Sensei. I know it is forbidden, but I will have to use that technique."_ He thought to himself and disappearing instantly.

Riku's punch missed completely. He gasped as he appeared behind him. " _ **Leaf Hurricane!"**_ He shouted Riku managed to dodge one hit but Lee expertly landed on the floor and swung at him again in the opposite direction he had come at before.

" _I'm not moving fast enough, I've gotta block him!"_ Riku thought, putting his guard up but he was still hit by the kick.

Riku let out a grunt of pain as he hit the ground hard and slid a bit as Kiki screamed out hit name in worry. "What the hell…" Riku groaned as he got to his feet.

" _He had his guard up but Lee's attack still hit…._ " Kiki thought to herself. " _It's not Ninjutsu or Genjutsu….It must be Taijutsu!"_

"Alright that's it!" Riku growled activating his Sharingan. " _Now I'll see right through him!"_ Riku's eyes glared catching Lee in his sights, focusing squarely on him he charged at Lee who once again stood his ground.

" _He's not moving again….I hope his Sharingan can pull this off."_ Kiki thought to herself watching carefully forgetting that Naruto was even in the room. He was watching intently too. Lee unleashed another flurry of moves Riku only dodged two before a punch hit him hard.

"Riku!" his team mates shouted at the same time as Riku fell back onto his back. Lee came at him for a second attack Riku jumped up and barely managed to block the attack.

"I've never seen Taijutsu this fast before…." Riku groaned as he fought against the attack feeling the same Chakra that stopped his kick before.

"Riku, I believe there are two kinds of people those who are naturally talented. And those that have to work every day of their lives."

"And you think that because I'm an Uchiha I don't?" Riku asked.

"Nowhere close as hard as me, but I can tell you have been working to harness your Sharingan." Lee said "I understand your technique completely, your Sharingan allows you to read your opponents moves and chakra and anticipate their moves before they do. But Taijutsu is a little bit different. I do not try to hide my moves. Even if you can read them, you cannot stop them!" he said disappearing with speed, "The fact is you are too slow!"

"Why you!" Riku growled swinging another punch at him only to lose.

"Your eyes might be quick enough to stay one step ahead of me" Lee lashed out with another kick, which Riku barely ducked out of the way of, "but if your body can't keep up, then what is the point?"

" _He's right, I'm not nearly fast enough to fight this guy, he's almost as fast, if not just as fast as Sitka!"_ Riku growled in his thoughts, an audible 'tch' sound coming from his mouth.

"It makes you the worst match for my extreme Taijutsu!" Lee declared coming in for another attack. Riku tried to block but he was sent flying in the air. Lee appeared behind him.

"That's Dancing Leaf Shadow!" Riku gasped.

"Very good, it's time to show you that hard work can match and even beat out natural talent." Lee declared.

" _Damn it what's his next move!"_ Riku growled in his thoughts.

Lee's hand flexed, tensing up as one of the bandages came off. "You're finished!" he said as a ribbon shot out and was poised to wrap around Riku. However, a pinwheel flew out of nowhere and stuck the bandages to the wall.

"Huh!?" Kiki asked turning to see where it came from.

"Who the?!" Naruto asked, expecting to see Kakashi but instead….

"This is bad…" Lee muttered as all three saw a very large tortoise glaring disapprovingly at them.

"Alright that's enough!" the tortoise shouted. Riku tried to stick his landing but he landed awkwardly and landed on his butt.

"Riku!" Kiki shouted rushing towards him. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live…" Riku replied, staring at the tortoise as Lee began talking with it. "What's with the giant turtle…?"

"I think it's a tortoise… but why is it talking…?" Naruto asked

"You didn't question Kakashi's dog." Kiki flatly pointed out.

"You were watching us the whole time?" Lee asked meekly.

"Of course, that last technique is forbidden you know that!" the tortoise scolded.

"This is so surreal…." Riku muttered, all of their eyes staring right at what was happening.

"I am sorry," Lee muttered sadly.

"Now he's apologizing to it…." Naruto muttered as they all stared dumbfounded. The tortoise gave Lee a glare making him yelp.

"I was not going to use the forbidden Jutsu, I was in the middle of the battle and you understand!" Lee cried.

"Now he's making excuses too it…." Riku muttered flatly.

"You're a disgrace!" the tortoise shouted making Lee wince. "A Shinobi never reveals his technique unless it is absolutely necessary, it's such a basic rule you should know it by now!"

"Forgive me." Lee meekly muttered.

" _How did I lose to this guy….? Okay I know why, but yeah never judge a book by it's cover….it's probably a good thing Sasuke isn't here he'd never let me live it down…until Lee kicked his ass anyway…."_ Riku thought indignantly.

"Are you prepared to take the punishment for your actions?" the tortoise asked.

Lee hung his head sadly. "I…yes sir…." He muttered sadly.

"Alright, please come out Guy Sensei!" it shouted, a puff of smoke appeared on top of its shell, on top of which stood a tall man who looked almost exactly like Lee minus the facial structure which was square and the Chunin vest he wore. He stood in a goofy pose.

"Heeeeeyyy Everybody how ya'll doing, life treating ya good?" he asked.

All three Kids yelped. "WHOLLY CRAP, ANOTHER CRAZY GUY CAME OUT! WITH EVEN BUSHIER EYEBROWS!" Naruto cried out in horror.

"Guy Sensei!" Lee stated.

"Well, now I know where Lee gets it. And I think he's somehow even weirder…" Riku muttered in sheer shock.

"Yeah same soup bowl hair cut same super bushy eye brows." Naruto muttered making Lee quickly turn on them.

"Do not insult Guy sensei! He is the greatest man alive!" Lee shouted.

"He crawled out from under tortoise!" Riku shouted back.

"YEAH, SO EXCUSE US FOR NOTICING HIS GREATNESS! WE WERE TOO BUSY WATCHING HIM DO SO!" Naruto added loudly.

"HE DID NOT CRAWL OUT!" Lee argued.

"Then what's with the tortoise!?" Riku snapped.

"It's his summon!" Lee snapped back.

"Give it a rest Lee." Guy said waving his hand a bit making Lee turn.

"Yes sir." He said quietly.

"Now for your punishment!" Guy stated rearing back for a powerful punch. "YOU IDIOT!" he shouted swinging as hard as he could, hitting Lee squarely in the side of the face and flinging into the wall behind him.

Kiki and Riku looked in sheer shock and sympathy as Naruto just stared bug eyed. Guy's expression however changed to a fatherly one.

"Lee…." He muttered, tears flowing down like a river down his face.

"Guy Sensei!" Lee muttered in sad tears flowing down the same way.

"It's over you don't need to say any more." Guy assured, embracing his pupil as Lee returned the gesture.

"What is happening…?" Kiki asked.

"I don't know….I don't even think words exist to describe whatever this is…." Riku muttered in a flat tone.

"You're just caught in between too old to be called a boy and too young to be called a man." Guy Sensei explained.

"You are too good to me." Lee said weeping.

"Now take off! I want you to give me one hundred laps around the practice field show me what you got!" he said as Lee nodded determinedly.

"Yes sir no problem!" Lee declared.

"Run into the setting sun, run and suffer but don't mess up your hair!" Guy instructed as they stared into said, teeth gleaming.

"I think I need an adult…." Naruto muttered.

"He is an adult; at least I think he is…" Riku muttered.

"We should go before they look this way…" Kiki whispered desperately. "We still need to hand in our applications. And we're cutting it close as it is."

"Yeah you're right." Riku agreed.

"So!" Guy appeared right behind them. "You're Kakashi's squad, tell me how he's doing." They turned Riku cursing in his mind as he put on a smile.

"Great!" Kiki said nervously. "We were just on our way to hand in our chunin applications, has Lee done that yet? I wouldn't want him to miss out; _despite him hitting on me out of nowhere."_ She said to Guy thinking the last part.

"Oh right the Chunin exams!" Guy said. "I almost forgot." He said turning to Lee. "Lee, you broke the rules against fighting and you disrupted the Chunin exams. I think that warrants a more severe punishment don't you?"

"Yes sir!" Lee stated.

"Then what do you say to _five hundred laps."_ He asked enthusiastically.

"Excellent sir!" Lee said vigorously.

" _They're both insane…."_ Riku thought to himself, eye twitching.

"So how do you know Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked curiosity, overriding the cringe he felt.

"How do I know him?" Guy asked with a chuckle going into a bit of deep thought. "Well you could say that he and I are eternal rivals."

"WHOA SERIOUSLY!?" the kids asked at once.

"That's right," Guy said with a smile.

"There's no way." Kiki stated.

"How dare you if Guy sensei says if it is true than it definitely is!" Lee argued.

"Let it go Lee, a Ninja's actions speak louder than words." Guy assured.

Riku blinked but Guy was suddenly gone. He froze realizing that Guy was now behind him. "My record is fifty wins and forty nine losses, which is one better than his by the way."

"Whoa no way how'd he beat Kakashi!?" Naruto stated in shock as Kiki and Riku stared in awe.

Guy pointed at himself with his thumb with a gleaming smile. "Fact is I'm stronger than Kakashi and faster too. "

" _All I did was blink and he was already behind us….He's definitely faster than Kakashi and Sitka too."_ Riku thought nervously.

" _We didn't even see him move it was like he teleported, is he even human?"_ Kiki thought to herself before an idea popped into her head. " _Actually not being human would explain_ _ **everything."**_

"You see!" Lee asked breaking her thoughts. "Guy Sensei is the best there is."

"Lee you should accompany, these, fine Genin to the class room right now." Guy said throwing a kunai knocking the pinwheel out of the wall. Lee began wrapping up his hand it was then the three noticed it. It was covered in purple bruises and the knuckles looked like they had been split and even broken several times. There were even a couple of stitches on his hands.

"Remember, give it your best Lee, farewell!" Guy said Lee answered him back with a 'yes sir' and instantly he and his turtle vanished.

"Riku," Lee said turning to him. "I have not been totally honest with you. I wanted to test my skill and that much is true. But you are not the one I wanted to test them against. I said I was the top Genin but there is another on my own squad who is better than me. He is the one I want to defeat." He said as Riku's thoughts drifted to the Hyuga boy he saw earlier. "You were just practice, now you are a target. I will crush you!" he declared, "There you have it consider yourself warned."

There was a bit of silence before Naruto spoke up. "Guess the number one rookies in my class aren't so hot after all."

"Oh thanks!" Kiki growled slightly insulted.

"You saw his hands didn't you?" Naruto asked, "Under the bandages?"

"Oh!" Kiki gasped when she remembered and then got what Naruto was saying.

"Yeah I bet he trains harder than all of us combined." Riku agreed.

"So who do you think Lee was talking about?" Kiki asked.

"He said the one he wanted to test his skills against was on his own squad so if I had to guess, it must be the Hyuga boy we saw earlier." Riku replied.

"The Hyuga are one of the strongest clans in Konoha, and we got at least three of them taking the exam this year…" Kiki said as the trio went to turn in their applications

The Chunin exams were definitely going to make or break them as Ninja.

* * *

 **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**


	23. The Written Test from Hell!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up Idea and some Characters from Freelancer1989_

* * *

 _ **The Written Exam from Hell! Part one of the Chunin Exams!**_

Room 301, it hadn't daunted them in the past but now it did. Being where the Chunin exams would begin! And someone else, waiting for them. "So you made it." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi sensei!?" Kiki muttered.

"I'm glad you guys came, you can now finally register for the chunin exams." Kakashi told them. "it's good, that all three of you accepted."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"You see only groups of three are allowed to take the Chunin exams. There have been exceptions but they are extremely rare and far few in between." Kakashi explained.

"Like Itachi," Riku said knowingly.

"That's correct, that's how it's always been." Kakashi replied.

"Hold on didn't you say it was up to the individual to decide? Was that a lie?" Kiki asked.

"Sort off, it's an individual decision. But it effect's everyone I didn't tell you because I didn't want you pressuring each other. At the same time I didn't want you feeling obliged to participate because of any feelings you might have for Riku and vise-versa. I wanted you all to come to that decision of your own free will." Kakashi explained.

"That means, if only one of us decided not to show up the other two wouldn't have been let in!" Naruto yelped.

"Yup it would've been the end of the line. I wouldn't have been able to let them in. But it's a moot point. You're all here and for the right reason, Riku, Kiki and Naruto." He said smiling. "I'm proud of all of you, I couldn't have asked for a better team!" he praised.

The kids smiled and went past him to the door. "We won't let you down sensei, believe it!" Naruto called as they entered the door.

Inside they were instantly greeted by the site of very angry looking Genin twice their size and much older from the looks of most of them. "Whoa what's this!?" Naruto asked surprised by what he saw.

"Our competition….no idea there'd be this much," Riku replied.

" _If being scary is one of the tests they've got us beat,"_ Kiki thought gulping a little. "They don't look happy to see us…." She muttered.

"We can't be scared; at the very least we can't show it. Ninja can't show emotion it gives the enemy an advantage…" Riku said.

"Right," Kiki replied. The two then noticed Naruto trembling. They looked at him with sympathy.

" _Poor Naruto he's shaken up by this…..I didn't expect him to get so shaken especially after what we've been through….but if me and Kiki are nervous by all these guys then…"_

"Yes! The more people that are here the more will learn the name Naruto Uzumaki! I'm psyched!" Naruto declared too his team mates almost very loudly.

"Hey! Don't let that idiot yell! Do you want him to get us all killed!?" shouted a voice they turned to see Sakura with her team Mates.

"Relax Sakura; I don't think they noticed us." Nika assured. But they suddenly heard muttering they turned to see that most of their competition we're now eyeing them.

"They're watching us Nika…." Tiko noted his tail twitching a little.

"You were saying?" Sakura huffed.

"Just ignore them. They're just salty because we're the youngest ones here." Yoshi said.

"You guys too huh?" they heard Shikamaru as he and his Team Mates Choji and Ino. "I knew this was going to be a drag but I didn't think it'd be this lame."

"You're as motivated as ever…." Yoshi huffed.

"I can't believe they let a bunch of brats in." Kala said as he and his own team mates showed up.

"So all three stooges are here," Naruto mouthed off.

"What'd you say!?" Kala growled.

"Man you just made this even worse…." Shikamaru sighed.

"Did your sensei let you in out of pity for the other two?" Kala asked.

"Hey you know what?!" Shikamaru growled. "Bah forget it you're not worth the effort."

A voice chuckled as three more kids came over. Kala and his group growled and backed off. "Well, well looks like the gang's all back together."

"Oh hello Naruto…." Hinata muttered shyly.

" _Why does she get all shy and nervous when I so much as look at her?"_ Naruto thought curiously.

" _He doesn't see it…..is this, what a slap in the face feels like?"_ Riku asked incredulously in his thoughts wondering how Naruto missed someone having a crush on him but could see right through him.

"So you guys are here too….man everyone's here for this stupid thing," Shikamaru sighed.

"It's not stupid it's an important part of our village's history the second Hokage is the one who came up with it. Plus it's a chance to become Chunin! Doesn't that matter to you at all?" Yoshi asked seriously.

"I could care less." Shikamaru huffed.

"Well anyway all fifteen rookies are here." Kiba chimed in. "This is gonna be fun…" Kiba laughed before smirking confidently. "At least for those of us good enough to make the cut, right Riku?"

"Kiba," Riku said smiling back. "Careful you don't get over confident." he said as Sakura and Ino shot him a look in the back ground.

"Heh, just you wait, we're gonna blow you all away! We've been training like crazy!" Kiba declared.

"What do you think we've been doing, picking daisies?" Naruto asked a little insulted. "You don't know what training means!"

"Oh don't mind Kiba, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." Hinata said.

"Huh?" Naruto asked looking up at her. She looked down twiddling her fingers and blushing. Kiba looked over not sure what was up with her as Akamaru let out a bark at her.

" _Geez she's got it bad for him."_ Kiki noted as she watched. She glanced at Sakura who merely frowned and turned away, making Kiki sigh a little.

Akamaru suddenly jumped down noticing Tiko whose hair instantly spiked as he stood on his toes. "No, No, no, no, no! Bad dog nyaaa get away!" he growled swiping at Akamaru who was just wanting to play.

"Relax Tiko he just wants to say hi," Nika assured.

"Well I don't, bad!" Tiko growled hissing at Akamaru.

"Hey don't hiss at him!" Kiba shouted as everyone else watched wondering what to do except for Choji who was looking right at the two young Ninja Animals as he ate his chips.

" _Akamaru and Tiko; are looking plumper….juicier."_ He dreamily thought tempted to walk towards them but suddenly as Akamaru almost stepped forward Shino blocked it. He let out a curious bark and looked up.

"You saving him, nya?" Tiko asked getting competitive.

"Not him…" Shino said, looking not at Tiko but at his feet. Tiko did the same and noticed a small bug go by. "I didn't want him stepping on it."

"Why you saving it for lunch?" Choji asked causing an awkward silence amongst the group.

"Geez I think the only thing you haven't considered eating are rocks." Yoshi sighed.

"Do you think that's possible?" Choji asked. Immediately Yoshi sighed as Ino and Shikamaru sighed out a no. Naruto, Sakura and Riku just looked at Choji like there was something wrong with him.

"Hey you guys" said a voice, they turned to see a tall boy about Sitka and Itachi's age with silverish white hair in a ponytail. He wore a purple vest with a grey shirt underneath and white ninja slacks and a Konoha forehead protector and a distinct pair of glasses with round lenses. "You might want to keep it down, you're the fifteen rookie's right fresh out of the academy?" he asked as Yoshi silently nodded. "I wouldn't go around making a spectacle of yourselves. This isn't a class field trip."

"Well who asked you, who are you anyway?" Ino crossed her arms

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, but really, look around you." he said noting to the other ninjas who were glaring right at them. The kids gulped and moved closer with Tiko getting up onto Nika's shoulder for safety Akamaru doing the same. "They're from the rain village really touchy they all are. This exam makes everyone tense. You don't want to rub them the right way right now." Kabuto said Kiki making a sound of agreement. "But hey how could you know how things work." He said loosening up. "You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back."

"Kabuto that's your name right?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"And this isn't your first time taking the exams?" Riku asked.

"No…it's my seventh…" Kabuto replied a little nervously.

"Huh?" Shikamaru asked confused.

"They're held twice a year." Sakura chimed in. "So that means…." She said looking at Kabuto.

"Yeah this will be my fourth year." Kabuto replied.

"So you must be an expert by now." Kiki noted.

"You could say that." Kabuto replied with a smile.

"Cool you can give us all the inside tips!" Naruto cheered.

"Yeah some expert, he's never passed." Shikamaru noted with a look.

Kabuto lightly chuckled rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah well seventh's times the charm they say."

"Oh man, so all those rumors about the exam being tough are true… I knew this was gonna be a drag." Shikamaru sighed.

"Now hold on," Kabuto assured. "Don't give up hope yet, maybe I can help you kids out a little." He said pulling out a pack of cards. "With my Ninja info cards," He said smoothly.

"What the heck are those?" Yoshi asked looking at the cards as the kids gathered around closer.

"It's hard to explain but these cards are chakra encoded with the stuff I've learned over the past four years so I haven't been completely wasting my time." Kabuto said as he laid the cards down on the ground. He then pulled one off the top of the deck and turned it over as he explained. "They don't look like much to the naked eye, in fact they appear blank." He then placed a finger on it and started spinning it. "Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff."

"What are you doing?" Ino asked.

"I'm using my chakra." He replied doing a hand sign. "To reveal their secrets, like this for example." In a puff a smoke a small world map with a few holographic green bars appeared.

"Awesome a map!" Sakura said intrigued, "of what?" she asked.

"It shows the geographical distribution of all the Candidates that have come to take the Chunin exams. What village they come from. And how many from each village," Kabuto answered as he flipped the card horizontally. "Why do you guys think they all come here to take the exam all together at the same time?" Kabuto asked.

"Balance, the Chunin exams are a way to show off a village's fighters, and instill a warning into villages that get any funny ideas about invading." Kiki explained while Sakura huffed and muttered under her breath.

"Show off…."

"Exactly the reasons aren't entirely cynical though it's also to foster friendship between nations as well. Brotherhood and all that, it's simple enough as it seems." Kabuto replied.

"There's also the fact that they want regulate the number of Shinobi in each village." Riku added.

"Precisely, when it gets down to it the Chunin exams serve the purpose of balancing power." Kabuto replied.

"Whatever, balance of power, it's all a drag." Shikamaru sighed. Kabuto dismissed the image on his card. "If the balance isn't maintained one nation could end up with more Shinobi and be tempted to attack them. They're trying to maintain the status quo it makes sense." He finished as Naruto hummed, processing it in his head.

"By the way do those cards have any info on the other candidates individually?" Riku asked.

"I might, got anyone special in mind?" Kabuto asked smirking.

"Maybe…" Riku replied firmly.

"Well I can't promise my information is perfect, but I've got something on just about everyone." He smirked a little evilly. "Including you guys of course, so tell me anything you know about them and I'll see what I got."

"Okay," Riku began. "There's Garaa of the Desert, and Rock Lee of the Hidden Leaf Village while you're at it."

Kabuto pouted. "Well that's no fun you even know their names that makes it easy." He replied as he pulled two cards from the deck and held them in front of Riku. "Here they are."

"Show me." Riku said as Kabuto placed one card on the ground and used the same trick to make a profile appear.

"Here's Rock Lee." Kabuto said as stats on the boy appeared. It showed his two team mates where he was from and everything Riku noticed that he had nothing in all but Stamina and Taijutsu. The bar chart showed how high his physical strength was as well. "Looks like he's a year older than you guys," Kabuto said, before eyeing the mission stats. "He's had eleven C Ranks and twenty D Rank missions."

"His team leader is Guy, and in the last twelve months his taijutsu has radically improved. But his other skills are a bit shaky." Kabuto said.

" _Why is that?"_ Riku thought. " _With his hard work and dedication if you gave him ninjutsu and genjutsu he could go toe to toe with Sitka or even Itachi easy!"_

"Last year he got a lot of attention as a Genin but for some reason he chose not to take the Chunin exam." Kabuto added.

"Maybe their sensei recommended they hold off on that for a while. And with how uh…" Kiki said thinking about her encounter with the two the very strange one. "…close they are, Lee could take Guy's advice in a heartbeat."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Yeah, these exams are supposed to be brutal."

"This will be his first time as a candidate, same as you guys. His team mates are Tenten and Neji Hyuga." Kabuto finished Naruto noticed Hinata wince a little at the name Neji and looked over. Before he could ask, he heard the next card placed down and Kabuto speak up again. "Okay now for Garaa of the Desert."

The stats appeared Riku looked at them along with Kiki and Yoshi. The chart was blank meaning Kabuto didn't have any stats on him. The bars in his bar chart were all equally high, and then Riku saw the mission stats as Kabuto looked at them, making his mind do a double take.

"Whoa, am I reading that right!?" Riku gasped.

"Yeah, eight C ranks and one B rank mission." Kabuto said.

"Whoa, already!?" Kiki said.

"Yeah, not much on him than that, but there is this" Kabuto said adjusting his glasses. "He came back from every mission without a scratch on him even the B rank."

"The dude's done a B rank as a Genin and has never even been injured?!" Shikamaru said in disbelief, his full attention on the cards now.

"Whoa, what's the deal with this guy…?" Naruto said gulping. Riku didn't respond he just had his eyes squared on the card in slightly in shock.

" _That's amazing and at the same time terrifying…how could he have that much skill and power in that short amount of time, is he like Itachi….or more?!"_ Kiki asked herself as

Kabuto brought back out the map with the card and showed off the bars. "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, and Sound. From the looks of it, they all sent exceptional candidates to the exams this time around."

"Wait a minute, you said Sound? I've never heard a village with that name." Shino said.

"Neither have I." Kiki said.

"Well, it's small and sprang up recently; no one knows anything about it. Those guys are a mystery." Kabuto said alerting and perturbing, the three Sound Ninja Genin.

"So it's a new village." Riku muttered interested. " _I wonder if Fugaku is hanging out there, Mom did say he had always wanted to be Hokage..."_ he then shook his head, _"No, he wouldn't want to join the village system even if he did make a village; it would be too obvious… Fugaku's a lot smarter than that."_

"But you get the point." Kabuto said restacking the cards he had pulled from the deck. "The competition's going to be intense this year."

"So it would seem it's almost enough to make you lose confidence." Hinata muttered worriedly as Ino turned to her with a scowl.

"It's a fine time to be thinking like that!" She growled.

"Don't worry we'll be fine as long as we stick with our teams." Kiki assured Hinata putting a hand on her shoulder as she nodded.

"Do you really think it's going to be tougher?" Sakura asked standing near the other three.

"Oh yeah," Kabuto assured, "In the years I've been coming I've never seen a crop of candidates with this much potential."

"Potential to know the name Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto declared. "I'm gonna show them all what I'm made of!"

"Keep it down, do you want them to hate our guts!" Shikamaru growled as Sakura hit him.

"What he said!" she hissed.

Riku and Kiki hissed sympathetically as Naruto rubbed his head. "That was harsh." Kiki said to Sakura.

"I don't tell you how to run your life." Sakura said coldly before leaving. Ino shot her a look.

"Sorry about her, she's probably nervous…at least I hope that's what it is." Ino said.

"Don't….worry about it…" Kiki said making her think back a little. But it was cut short by seeing Sakura and her team go over to Kabuto. Kiki knew Sakura was jealous of her. But she never thought she was better than anyone at least she hoped it wouldn't come off that way. Though she knew Sakura wanted to see her stats.

They appeared on the card. "Let's see; Kiki Senju, seventeen D rank Missions, a C rank mission, and one A Rank." Kabuto whistled softly, "Impressive"

"That's not as special as you think." Sakura said hotly.

"Yeah there's a story behind that, a long one. Either way why are you so interested in her stats?" Yoshi asked.

"Everyone has a weakness I want to know hers!" Sakura replied hotly.

"Well her Ninjutsu and Chakra control are phenomenal. I can see why she's one of the number one rookies intelligence isn't too bad nor is stamina. But her Taijutsu skills are very shaky." Kabuto said.

"Good that's good to know." Sakura said smiling formulating a strategy in her head.

"Are you thinking you'll go up against her?" Kabuto asked.

"I hope so." Sakura replied. "I want to beat her, simple as that."

"Sounds like your jealous," Yoshi muttered under his breath.

"We might not even get the chance; we've got our work cut out for us."

 **X X X**

 _Kakashi thought back to what Iruka had said a few days ago. Iruka had been protesting against the twelve rookies participating. "I can't go along with this! They maybe under your care now Takuto and Kakashi, but they were my students as well, I don't know what any of you are trying to prove with this bu-" he shouted before Guy cut him off._

" _You know he may have a point. You're putting a lot of pressure on them? Why so impatient? I held my team, back a year so they could hone their skills and mature. Let them enjoy their youth a little longer."_

 _Kakashi let out a small chuckle. "Your concern is touching. But are you sure it's not just because you know your guys don't stand a chance?" he asked slyly._

 _Guy growled, Takuto rolled his eyes_ ," Hardly the time for a childish rivalry to flare up _," He thought._

" _Alright, Alright!" Hiruzen said settling them. "The matter of the rookies is closed, as for the other Genin I will consider the recommendations."_

" _That's that," Asuma muttered Iruka sighed a little hotly but Kakashi turned to him. "I know what I'm doing relax."_

 **X X X**

" _I wish I was as sure as I sounded."_ Kakashi thought to himself. " _I wonder how they're doing in there even the cockiest of them have got to be a little scared."_ He suddenly heard Naruto talk loudly about making the other contenders know his name only to be loudly shushed. He laughed. "I should've known Naruto's too spirited to be scared. And that'll go a long way to giving his team mates confidence too."

Inside Riku, Shikamaru, Yoshi, Kiki, Nika and Ino had basically covered most of the lower half of Naruto's face. "You need to work on your indoor voice!" Riku hissed.

"Srrryyy," Naruto replied in a muffled reply. Riku sighed taking his hands off as the others slowly did. He was grateful for Naruto's confidence they had faced Zabuza and Fugaku and lived they'd be fine. He looked at Kiki, he could tell too.

Most of the candidates weren't exactly impressed with this some of them smirked most notably Konkuro and Temari standing with Garaa who said nothing. "I knew the Leaf Genin had attitudes but nothing like this."

"He's ready to yip like a little dog." Temari sneered.

Tenten and her team were in the crowd watching the rookies with everyone else. "Man what a loud mouth. Any dumber and he'd have announced his presence to the Shinobi world."

"He certainly hasn't lost his spunk." Neji said thoughtfully. "I guess you didn't intimidate them as much as you thought Lee."

Lee nodded in agreement. "He does have passion."

Out of all the other candidates, the Sound Three had their eyes on Kabuto. "You hear what he said about us? He called us little, a mystery." said the other boy as he glared behind his hunched team mate wrapped in bandages.

"I heard….." he muttered.

The girl glanced down at her team mates. "I say we teach that silver haired freak some manners."

"Yes good idea…." Dosu said. "Let's clear up some of the mystery for him update his information…that if you insult the sound village you'd better be prepared to pay the price!" The three suddenly took off at blinding speed and immense silence.

Kabuto looked over as they came he gasped. The others caught sight of one of the Sound Genin with spiky black hair and a brown shirt and grey and clay red spotted scarf rushed forward pulling out kunai leaping right over Kabuto's head he dodged the attack but suddenly Dosu with his left arm exposed revealing a large mechanical device encased over it going to throw a punch.

" _They're from the Hidden Sound Village!"_ He gasped in his thoughts expertly dodging a punch thrown by Dosu, he smirked in relief as the group backed off.

" _Whoa he's quick!"_ Naruto and Kiki thought together.

" _He's almost as fast as me."_ Riku smirked watching. Kabuto relaxed taking off his glasses.

"I see, so it was that kind of attack." He said calmly.

Riku rushed forward a bit getting to the front of the group with Kiki and Naruto. "Hold I saw the whole thing how'd that happen?!"

"It must have come closer than it looked." Yoshi deduced.

"Pfft," Shikamaru scoffed thinking the same thing. "Look at him acting like it was nothing real tough guy."

Kabuto smiled but suddenly he felt pain surge throughout his whole body his vision getting instantly blurry as he fell to his knees, vomiting.

"He just-!?" Nika gasped in horror watching.

"Kabuto, what's wrong?!" Sakura asked in worry as. Team Seven rushed to his side, Riku scanning Kabuto with his Sharingan everyone watched as Kabuto coughed and the Sound Ninja smirking with glee.

"Kabuto!" Naruto shouted.

"Are you alright!?" as Kiki got to his right and Naruto on the left Riku knelt in front of him, his Sharingan he could see his chakra fluctuating.

"You're chakra's going wild from that hit." Riku noted in a worried tone.

"Is it dissipating or leaking where I was struck?" Kabuto asked weakly as he slowly caught his breath. Riku watched carefully for a second.

"No it's not… slowly going back to normal too." Riku replied, deactivating his Sharingan.

"Then I'm fine…" Kabuto assured.

"Heh," Dosu said sneering; "not such a tough guy now, are you? Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try."

"Grrrrr!" Riku growled putting an arm out to shield Kabuto as Kiki glared ready to fight huddling closer to Kabuto to shield him.

"Write this on your little card punk." Zaku jeered. "The Genin from the Hidden Sound Village will be Chunin guaranteed!"

" _I don't get it_." Riku thought as he growled glaring at them. " _He saw their attack in time to evade it what made it fall apart."_

Tiko's tail twitched as Akamaru whined. "Yeah you heard it too." He said to the puppy.

"Heard what?" Nika asked.

"There was a funny sound just as Kabuto dodged the attack." Tiko said.

"I see…" Nika said thinking, "Sakura any ideas."

"None right now…" Sakura replied.

As the other Genin watched in silence Team Guy had the gears in their own heads turning.

"Hey Lee," Neji asked. "What was going on with that attack?"

"There was more to it than just speed. Some kind of trick," Lee replied.

Garaa hummed in intrigue at the attack. "Think it was invisible?" Temari asked.

Before anyone else could say anything a large smoke screen appeared. "Alright you baby faced degenerates! Pipe down and listen up!" Coming from it was a tall intimidating looking man with a long scar running diagonally down across his face and another running up diagonally on the other side. With his head protector wrapped around his head with no sign of hair underneath it, he also wore a black military outfit, with a black coat. At his side were several Chunin in grey Uniforms.

He smirked at them. "It's time to begin, I am Ibiki Morino, your proctor and from this moment your worst enemy."

There was some mumbling amongst the Genin who had shown up. Kiki recognized him from when she was little when her parents would show her around the Hokage tower. But she never did find out what his job was. He spoke instantly within introducing himself.

"First you candidates from the Hidden Sound Village, Knock it off! Who told you, you could fight?! Do you want to be failed before we've begun!?" he shouted in a growly authoritative tone.

There was a pause before Dosu turned towards him eye smiling a bit, "sorry it's our first time, guess we're a little jumpy… _sir_ …."

" _These guys seem just as nasty as Gaara but there's something more sinister to them."_ Kiki thought glaring at them behind their backs.

Ibiki smirked in response then spoke again. "'I'll say this once so listen up. No combat, no fighting each other without express permission from your proctor. And even then, the use fatal force is strictly forbidden. Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified got it?" he growled intimidatingly.

Zaku let out a humph sound. "No fatal force? that's no fun."

"This guy's horrifying…." Nika whimpered in a hushed tone.

"They all are…" Yoshi added referring to Ibiki and the Sound Trio.

"Do you think Mr. Ibiki can actually read minds meow?" Tiko asked.

"Let's not find out so stay quiet…." Sakura hissed.

The other proctors laughed at Zaku as Ibiki continued. "Now if we're ready we'll proceed to the first stage of the Chunin exam, hand over your paper work. In return you'll be given a number. That number indicates where you'll be seated. When you're all seated, we'll begin the written exam."

"Written exam!?" Naruto shouted. "But we didn't study for that!" he yelped.

"None of us did, we have to adapt to the situation, relax we'll figure this out." Riku assured.

Soon everyone had received their number and sat. The proctors had all taken seats lining the sides of the class room. Naruto was sitting separated from the others Kiki was a couple rows behind Naruto and Riku was in the far left corner. Naruto looked at the test.

" _I don't even know where the others are I'm all alone…."_ He groaned inwardly nervous.

"Uh Naruto?" said a timid voice. He turned to see Hinata sitting beside him.

"Oh where'd you come from Hinata, I didn't see you." Naruto said in a friendly manner. Hinata smiled and looked down at her lap.

"Uh I, umm, just wanted to wish you good luck." Hinata said.

"Uhhh Yeah, thanks Hinata." Naruto thought to himself. Hinata was a very quiet girl. Even when she was there it was like she wasn't at least that's what Naruto thought.

Ibiki planted a piece of chalk on the board to start writing. "Everyone eyes forward. There are a few rules you need to be aware of and I won't answer any questions, so listen up!"

" _No questions what kind of rules are these?"_ Sakura asked herself sitting a few seats down from Kiki.

"Alright rule number one is this. The written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what some of you are used too; you'll each begin the exam with a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for each one you get wrong. If you miss three your final score will be seven." Ibiki explained.

" _And if I miss all of them I'll get zero…"_ Naruto said, nodding as he followed along.

"Rule number two teams will pass or fail based on the scores of all three members." Ibiki said shocking everyone.

"WAIT!" Naruto shouted, "You're saying we all get scored at the same time as a team!?"

"Silence!" Ibiki commanded. "I have my reasons, so shut up and listen."

" _Reasons!?"_ Kiki groaned in her mind. " _The more rules we get the more unfair this seems to be!"_

"Rule number three, the sentinels you see positioned are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating and for any signs they see they will subtract two points from your score. Be warned their eyes are sharp and if they catch you five times you'll be dismissed before the test is even over."

" _Geez, they make it so you can lose all kinds of points."_ Kiki thought to herself, Sakura pretty much thinking the same thing.

"Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here." Ibiki said simply.

The one with spikey hair from before smirked. "I've got my eye on you guys." His words worried a couple of Genin a little bit.

"If you want to be considered Shinobi then show us what exceptional Shinobi you are…" Ibiki said smiling a slasher smile.

" _Okay, okay I just gotta calm down Kiki and Riku should be fine and I'm sure I'll do okay I scored pretty well on the test….but that was because I studied my butt of. Either way we'll get to the next part even if I get a zero."_ Naruto thought to himself.

"One more thing, if any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, the whole team will be disqualified." Everyone gasped at this. Kiki and Riku's eyes widened.

"WHAT?!" they said together.

"WHAT HE SAY!?" Sakura shouted.

Naruto immediately felt his insides turn into an icy goo. " _If I mess up they'll kill me!"_

"Naruto are you alright?" Hinata asked.

"Lastly the final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the testing period is over. You have one hour total." He waited for the clock to tick until the second hand hit the twelve. "Begin!" Everyone immediately began writing except for a few who were thinking.

" _Okay, relax Sakura, this is where you show your stuff."_ She thought to herself " _Nika, Yoshi, don't screw up get at least one of them right!"_

Naruto was taking deep breaths. " _Okay no big deal, it's just a test I've done a lot harder things all I have to do is take my time and answer all the questions I have a chance at getting right"_ He looked over at the first question. " _Oh I see I have to decipher a code….ummm what about question two?"_

At that time Riku was looking at question two on his own sheet. " _Line B in the diagram indicates the trajectory of a shuriken thrown at enemy C by Ninja A seated atop a tree seven meters tall. Describe and formulate the trajectory required if C were positioned at points D, E and F. Also predict the furthest possible range of the Shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer."_

" _These are integrated problems based on principals of uncertainly and require a complex mechanical energy analysis, incredibly advanced stuff. There can't be a handful of people here beside me who even understand it….well that means Kiki won't be able to understand it so that's something I guess…"_ Sakura thought to herself.

" _This is insanely advanced…."_ Kiki thought to herself feeling like she might let the boys down now. " _And if Riku and I can't figure this out. Naruto doesn't stand a chance….almost no one does….How do they expect us to pass this…there has to be more to this test."_

Naruto tried the code he answered it to the best of his ability he sweated wondering if maybe it would count if he answered one got it wrong and left the others he sighed. He laid his head on the desk. " _I don't understand any of these questions….do they want us to fail!? Why is this so hard I don't get any of this and they didn't even get us to study…..no they'd give us a chance right, so what's the deal!?"_ He groaned in his mind. " _Geez this reminds me of the missions from that big war dad talked about where they had to-"_ It immediately hit him his father's words rang in his mind just then.

" _Words can take on different meanings sometimes they might even have hidden messages part of being a Shinobi is figuring that out."_

Around that time Riku and Kiki were coming to the same conclusion.

" _I don't understand any of these questions; there's gotta be more to this….there's something they're not telling us…at least not directly."_ Kiki thought to herself.

" _They made more a fuss about cheating then they do about the test."_ Riku thought to himself he glanced at the sentinels " _These sentinels watching our every move waiting for someone to- someone just got nailed…."_ He thought as one with blank eyes marked off two points. " _That's another thing,_ _why only a two point deduction? Usually cheating is grounds for dismissal on its own,"_ It hit him, and Kiki and Ibiki's words came back to all of them.

" _That's it!"_ Kiki said to herself.

" _Very clever…."_ Riku thought smiling to himself.

" _I cracked the code!"_ Naruto thought.

" _Anyone fool enough to be caught be the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here, show us what exceptional Shinobi you can be!"_ said Ibiki as they played back his words in their minds.

" _The object is not to test our knowledge but how well we can gather information."_ Riku thought to himself.

Kiki glanced around as the gears in her head turned. " _That explains everything… the eagle eyed sentinels, these difficult questions, and the two point deduction. He's expecting us to cheat; only exceptional Shinobi can pull it off under these circumstances. I wonder how many of the others have figured it out."_

She glanced back in Riku's general direction and then at Naruto ahead of her. " _Come on guys, figure this out and the worst is behind you. Still Riku has the Sharingan but what can I and Naruto do, all I'm really good at is wood style but how can I do that here without being caught? Ninjutsu isn't exactly style that's stealthy least the ones I know."_

Naruto groaned his head falling into the desk. " _Awww man if I had known this was gonna happen I could've set something up with a shadow clone! I can't do anything now without being caught and thrown out on my butt! I've gotta figure something else out!"_

 **X X X**

Gaara started quietly forming sand in his hand as Kankuro looked over. " _Looks like Gaara's figured it out._ " He glanced at one of the sentinels. " _Okay Krow I'm counting on you_."

Akamaru was glancing around. When he saw a completed answer he would bark to Kiba who in turn would write it down. "Good Boy," he said as he wrote it down. "That'll do it onto number four."

Tiko made his way and poked his head out in the compartment under Nika's desk. "Hey you get all the answers?" he whispered.

"Yeah I was super quiet nya. Not only that I was able to get on the ceiling and leach, off a gold mine." Tiko replied.

"Nice! Okay tell me what you found." Nika replied.

Dosu was quietly listening to the sounds of pencil strokes something he and his squad mates had practiced endlessly in the Hidden Sound Village. " _Judging from the rhythm the duration and the frequency of the strokes….yes I see…"_

At the other side of the classroom another test taker had shooed a fly away however it went back to Shino who held up a finger for it. "Well show me." The bug flew off and made a figure eight above a square for one of the questions, "eight of course." Unbeknownst to him his sheet was being mirrored. Tenten had set up a mirror system to get the answers from others. All controlled with strings tied on her fingers.

" _Lee, when you can see it adjust your headband."_ She said as she manipulated her fingers a certain way. Lee looked up and saw it tying his headband around his head to signify he could see it.

Kiki tapped her fingers against the top of the desk. The candidate next to her gave an annoyed look, and she stopped. That was when it hit her… the wooden desk itself… it gave her an idea. She could see Sakura and another candidate doing well for themselves. " _I hope this works..."_ She thought to herself as she placed her hand on the desk flat, her skin partly merging with the surface as she sent chakra from her hand through the wood. It traveled from her desk, coming to rest under the paper as Sakura's pencil glided across and wrote down the answers. Closing her eyes and focusing, she copied the pencil strokes that she felt across her chakra. " _It worked! Sorry Sakura you're just going to have to share."_

Naruto was stumbling about how to gather more intel, " _Okay think, think, I've gotta finish the rest of these."_

"Naruto," Hinata whispered to him. She blushed a little. "If you want, I could show you my test."

" _Say what?"_ Naruto asked blinking in shock. " _She'd let me look at her test….has she figured it out too? If so this is my lucky day. Although…"_

"Hey Hinata, can I ask you something why would want to show me your answers?" Naruto whispered.

"Well…it's because I don't want you to leave." She muttered. Naruto blinked she quickly added onto her answers fiddling her fingers. "Well, it'd be nice if all fifteen rookies could stick together….being rookies and all."

"Oh that makes sense; I wanted to make sure you weren't going to pull a fast one on me. Sorry…" He giggled a little silly. Hinata slipped him her sheet. He smiled and went to, discretely look… only for a kunai to sailed right past him, making him yelp.

Everyone looked up as a kunai landed right in front of someone who had been caught five times. A boy in green with dark spiky hair; Naruto gulped he glanced behind him.

" _Wholly crap they're good…!"_ He shivered in his mind.

"Hey what was that about?" the green boy asked nervously as the sentinel with black spiky hair and a bandage over his nose smirked.

"Five strikes and you're out. You failed the test; you and your team mates will leave the room immediately. In total shock the boy just stared his world falling around him as his team mates got up sadly and left. He eventually hung his head and left. Naruto was trying to compose himself.

" _Don't get scared you're gonna be okay….just fake being clueless after…that's it."_ Naruto thought to himself his legs jittering.

"Candidate number twenty three number twenty three fail, candidates number twenty seven and forty-three fail!" a Sentinel called out and then another team was called out. One was dragged out kicking and screaming.

"It's not fair I didn't do anything!" he shouted as he was thrown out another tried to deny it.

"No way! Who says I cheated five times, where's your proof?!" he shouted. "How can you keep track of all of us you've got the wrong guy!" The sentinel smirking at him with his head wrapped in bandages merely smirked at him. As he continued, "How do you know I wasn't just-oof!" he shouted as he slammed into the wall.

"Sorry pal we were chosen for this because we don't make mistakes like that! You can't even blink without us seeing it. We're the best of the best and you my friend are history!" he sneered as he let the boy in the pale green shirt drop. "Now get out and take your team mates with you."

Naruto was taking deep breathes he had managed to calm down a bit. He glanced over at the sentinel. He was currently writing something down.

"Naruto go ahead and look." Hinata whispered to him, Naruto gulped.

" _Okay stay calm….just get the answers you don't have and leave what you tried to answer for last. That way it's not a problem if you can't get them believe it."_ He thought to himself gulping tempted to keep an eye on the sentinels as he wrote down answers. " _Even if I keep my original answers, Kiki and Riku will get high scores and get us through this I just have to avoid getting a zero….and not get caught."_

He finished he turned forward as Hinata took her paper back. She noticed him shaking. "Naruto?"

"I'm okay, just playing the dummy so they don't suspect a thing ya know…" he whispered his voice cracking. " _Hopefully they didn't see us… If I had got caught I'd be taking down not only my team mates but Hinata's too, and that's not fair."_

"Thank you, you really didn't have to do that. I actually feel kind of bad." Naruto muttered.

"Don't worry about it; it looked like you didn't have a way to finish the test." Hinata assured him. Naruto blink.

" _She did know…."_ Naruto thought to himself.

 **X X X**

Sakura got to work answering as hard as she could. Neji used the Byakugan to get answers by seeing through the candidate in front of him.

Riku used the Sharingan the idea was to imitate the movements of his pen. As Riku wrote down answers he smirked. "Awesome, I hit the jackpot with this guy."

Ino was watching Sakura from further behind. " _Look at her she's cranking through this thing. Of course she wouldn't need to cheat."_ Ino smirked impressed she also knew that Sakura was her meal ticket for her and the rest of her team. " _I've always known you've got a giant brain but let's put it to work for me."_ She thought doing a hand sign. " _You ought to be flattered girl I don't mark just anyone with my mind transfer jutsu."_ she said finishing off the Jutsu and entering Sakura's mind.

" _So Ino's got her jutsu going."_ Shikamaru said watching Ino's head fall into her arms on the desk. " _About time."_

" _Way to go!"_ Choji thought having seen this as well, " _putting that brainiac to work for us."_

Sakura smirked but it wasn't her. " _Thanks for letting me hang out in your soul for a bit even if it's a bit cramped in here. Now I've got to memorize these answers quick so I can pass them on to Choji and Shikamaru."_

"Number fifty-nine you fail!" shouted a sentinel.

"Numbers thirty three and nine fail!" shouted another senitinel.

" _That's the fourteenth team to be dismissed."_ Kabuto thought watching them go.

"Number forty-one fail!" shouted another Sentinel as the one next to him shouted to their team mates.

"Numbers thirty-five and sixty-two fail!"

"Hey no way," shouted number sixty-two only to be slugged and kicked out; Ibiki had his eyes on Garaa.

" _Look at this one; cool as a cucumber acting like nothing's happening, stay's focused as if nothing was happening. Hmph not bad for a novice."_ He thought to himself smiling as Gaara's third eye technique had finished completing.

" _The opening of the third eye invisibly linked to the optic nerve."_ Garaa thought as it looked up at him. he crushed it and the sand flowed around to another candidate who was taking the test the sand got in his eyes making him rub as the eye formed at the paper it looked everywhere and with that Garaa started to write. Kankuro found a good opportunity to make his own move.

"Uhh excuse me?" Kankuro asked raising his hand.

"What is it?" a sentinel barked.

"I've gotta use the can, sorry." He said.

" _Hey why didn't I think of that?"_ Naruto asked. " _I could've gone to the bathroom set up a shadow clone and-"_

Kankuro's hands were in shackles. "We go with you, to make sure you're not up to anything."

"That's perfectly understandable." Kankuro said in a tone and voice that was so polite it was a far cry to how he acted with them. Naruto's what could've been immediately died in his head when he saw this.

" _Never mind…."_ He thought to himself sighing. " _Still I got everything I need, I just have to hope no one saw me… hopefully I didn't finish too soon for their liking."_

 **X X X**

Kankuro chuckled to himself as he got work. "Security's pretty tight. But these sentinels aren't quite as eagle eyed as everyone thinks. After all they haven't noticed that there's one more sentinel than there used to be right Krow?" He said glancing at the one who took him who was actually his puppet.

 **X X X**

" _Only twenty minutes left…then they'll give out the tenth question….that's what it all comes down too…."_ Naruto thought, Kiki and Riku also glanced at the clock.

Five minutes passed. Besides the clock ominously ticking, silence filled the area as the candidates looked at their papers. Ibiki smirked. " _Now that we've weeded out all the hopeless cases, fifteen minutes to go; time for the main event."_

"Alright!" he declared, "Listen up; here's the tenth and final question!"

" _Here we go… the final one"_ Kiki thought to herself.

" _Geez, this Ibiki guy likes putting on a show; still I can't get sloppy now…"_ Riku thought to herself.

" _What's the catch with this one!? There's gotta be a catch believe it!"_ Naruto thought getting nervous again.

" _Hurry up Kankuro!"_ Temari growled in her mind. " _What good is your cheat sheet if you miss the tenth question!?"_

"But before I give you the tenth question…there are some more rules you need to be aware of." He warned. At that moment the door open and Kankuro entered the room.

"Huh?" he muttered noticing the deathly silence in the room.

"Ahh made it just in time." Ibiki told him. "I hope you found your trip to the bathroom _enlightening._ "

" _He's seen through the Krow's disguise he's on to us!"_ Kankuro thought in a panicked tone his eyes widening as he tried to keep his cool.

"Well, take your seat." Ibiki told him. Kankuro did so as he passed Temari's desk however he dropped a tiny scroll for Temari to use as he sat down.

"Now listen up these questions are unique to question ten." Ibiki instructed. "Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you…"

 **X X X**

Kakashi and the other Jonin were relaxing Kakashi could feel the silence surrounding them. "Hmm it's almost quiet without the rookies around…I almost miss them." Kakashi admitted.

"Don't worry chances are they'll be back again sooner than you think." Asuma assured.

"How so?" Takuto asked.

"I heard that their first examiner this year is…Ibiki." Asuma said pausing at Ibiki's name.

"Oh…" Takuto said flatly.

" _So already their chances of passing look iffy…."_ Kakashi thought to himself, "Great, sticking them with that sadist right off the bat."

"Huh, sadist?" Kurenai asked.

Asuma chuckled as he turned to Kurenai. "I forgot you're a new Jonin Kurenai, otherwise you wouldn't have to ask that."

"So I'm ignorant, who is he?" Kurenai asked.

"Not the first choice for someone to be stuck with a bunch of preteens that's for sure." Takuto said simply as Kakashi began.

"He's what you might call a specialist."

"Oh yeah, in what?" Kurenai asked.

Asuma took a long drag on his cigarette. "Interrogation and torture." He said with a wicked smile, Kurenai's eyes widened. "Of course he won't be using physical torture during the test. He won't need too that's not really his thing anyway. He works on people's minds not their bodies."

"Everyone knows about the head of the Anbu Torture and interrogation core, Ibiki Morino." Takuto added.

"You see, he's a master of interrogation because he knows how the human mind works. He knows just where to probe to uncover your weaknesses. He's so good at his job he doesn't need to use Physical force. He just messes with your head so bad you end up torturing yourself." Asuma explained.

 **X X X**

" _If even the rules are scary what's the actual question like?"_ Naruto asked himself.

"Rule number one, each of you will be given a choice not to be given the final question, it's your decision. It's up to you whether or not you want to take it."

Naruto gasped at this as Riku's mind began racing again. " _What, we're free to choose?!"_

"Whoa!? So what's the question what if we decide we don't want to do it what happens then!?" Temari asked.

"If you decide not to take the tenth question regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail!" Ibiki replied smiling. "And of course that means both your team mates fail as well."

The candidates started chattering amongst themselves on how stupid the choice was and that taking the tenth question was the obvious choice. "Not so fast you didn't let me finish." He said calmly.

" _There's more? Next you're gonna tell us that if we fail this one the other nine answers won't count as well and get a zero that way."_ Kiki thought worriedly in her thoughts.

"If you choose to take the tenth question but answer it incorrectly not only will you fail… **You will be barred from taking the Chunin exams ever again!"** He half yelled.

Everyone started panicking at this. Naruto especially who gulped it felt like how he got his answers before was all for nothing if he failed. "That can't be!" Kiki said standing up.

"Yeah that's bull, what kind of bogus rule is that?! There's lots of people here who have taken the test before!" Kiba added Akamaru barking in agreement.

Ikibi let out a chuckle and then a laugh that was dark, almost callously cruel. "I guess you're just unlucky," he replied darkly. "I wasn't making the rules before…but I am now….of course if you don't feel like taking it than by all means skip it. If you're not feeling confident you can come back and try again next year." He said with another dark laugh.

" _Thanks a lot!_ _So if anyone of us chooses to skip and all three of us fail!? No way, that's not going to happen. But on the other hand you get one shot, screw up and you'll never get another shot! Either way it stinks! This is so unfair, why couldn't they give us a normal test?"_ Sakura thought.

" _I've gotta stay calm, we'll just get the answer to the tenth question like we did the last nine….no pressure…that's what he's looking for."_ Kiki thought to herself.

"Now then if you're ready….." Ibiki declared as everyone had eyes on him. "The Tenth and final question those who don't want to take it raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go." He finished as Naruto gulped his thoughts racing.

" _What could the question be…what if it's easy_ _but what if it's not!? If I get it wrong! I'll be a Genin for the rest of my life! But I can't just skip it then we all fail! I can't do that to the others."_

" _No way he's getting me to chicken out…I hope the others will be okay….Naruto didn't have any room to get good answers…none of his abilities besides the shadow clone would've worked and he didn't have time to set it up….I hope you got your answers okay…."_ Riku thought to himself.

"I'm out, that's it I'm out I just can't do it I'm sorry!" said a boy in a dark blue shirt who raised his hand.

"Number fifty fail!" shouted a sentinel.

"Number one thirty number one ten; that means you're out too," Shouted another sentinel.

The boy apologized almost in tears to his team mates and then more and more raised their hands to leave. Their numbers were recorded as they all left, some in tears and others shooting angry glares at their team mates.

Riku and Kiki's eyes fell to Naruto they both felt bad for him. He wanted so much to be Hokage and this could ruin everything for him. Was it worth the risk? …they almost wanted to protect each other by raising their own hands. But Riku and Kiki knew neither of them would want that however…

Naruto suddenly raised his hand to everyone's shock. But he slammed it down. "Don't underestimate me, I don't quit and I don't run!" he declared. "You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't going to scare me off. I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life! That won't stop me from becoming Hokage!" he then sat down, taking a breath.

" _Bluff or not, he's got guts. Way to go Naruto!"_ Riku said smiling.

" _That's the way, don't ever back down Naruto! It's your dream; don't let anyone else take that from you!"_ Kiki thought to herself in awe of his speech.

"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance." Ibiki warned.

"No way, I never quit, that's my Ninja way!" Naruto declared as Hinata blushed as Naruto became her hero even more right now even a hero to some of the other rookies too.

" _Incredible, that little outburst has given the others some back bone. He's inspired them into staying. Seventy eight left more than I expected."_ He thought to himself. " _I don't see anyone wavering, I think that's it!"_ the sentinels nodded at him.

"Well I admire your determination if nothing else. For those choosing to stay there's only one thing left for me to tell you….you've all passed the first exam."

"Huh?" Naruto asked blinking everyone else was just as surprised as him.

"Hold on what just happened?!" Sakura asked standing up. "What do you mean we passed where's the tenth question."

Ibiki laughed but it was much warmer this time. "There was no tenth question, not a written one at least." he said with a big smile. "Your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"The question was whether or not we would stay despite the risk of failure!" Kiki said getting it as Sakura shot her a mean look.

"That's right," Ibiki said.

"Wait a second!" Temari shouted. "So the other nine questions were just a waste of time is that it?!"

"No, no not at all; Quite the opposite the first nine questions had an important overriding purpose; to test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances."

"Oh…" Temari blinked. "Well that clears up everything."

"Let me explain; you see my objective was to not only test you as individuals but as a team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis. So you'd know that everything you did or failed to do would directly affect your team mates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure."

"Yeah, when I got my answers I acted all nervous so you guys wouldn't suspect a thing." Naruto declared. Kiki as Riku sighed in relief, that shaking earlier had worried them.

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult in fact as you may have realized too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve. I imagine that most of you quickly came to that conclusion the test was designed to encourage cheating in fact it almost demanded it." Ibiki explained as some of the candidates looked back on their methods.

"Of course it would do you little good if you didn't have someone to cheat from so I had two chunin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you." Kiki noticed a guy with a blue shirt and mousy brown hair smirking with his arms folded another with a shirt with a symbol on its back and a head protector covering his whole head raised his hand.

"Those who were caught at it failed, better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily." Ibiki stated as he removed the bandana forhead protector from his head revealing his head to be heavily scared with stretched white skin closed up puncture wounds and even burns. "Information can be the most powerful tool. Sometimes you'll even have to risk your life to get it."

" _Man what a mess….._ " Riku thought to himself. " _What he must have endured to get all those injuries…And the information._ " he muttered as Kiki, Sakura and Hinata looked at him with sympathetic looks as did Nika and Yoshi.

Kala smirked. " _Heh this guy's not as good as he thinks he is if he's getting beat up like that. Someone like me could keep everything intact."_

"Of course you must always consider the source of your information." Ibiki warned. "Intelligence gathered from an enemy isn't necessarily accurate. You must always remember this disinformation is more dangerous than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades or even the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather intelligence." Ibiki explained. "To cheat in order to survive; and that's those who weren't good enough were weeded out."

"So, what does the tenth question have to do with that?" Temari asked.

"It was the main point." Ibiki replied. "As I said before, the goal was not only to test you as individuals but also as part of a squad. The final question gave you both questions, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe or you could try and answer it knowing if you got it wrong you would lose your chance of ever being chunin it was a no win situation. But just the sort that Chunin have to face almost every day. For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission to steal a document from an enemy strong hold. You have idea how many ninja the enemy has or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore you have reason to believe the enemy expects you knowing you could blindly be walking into a trap. Now do you have the option of taking a pass on this mission? To say my comrades and I would rather live to fight another day? Can you choose to avoid danger? No! There will be many missions that almost seem suicidal if you think about it. But you do not think about it; you think only of the goal of achieving it through courage and discipline these are the qualities required of a chunin squad leader. Those who chose the safer of two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who would put their comrades lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own; those who would save their own necks, at the price of sacred honor will never be able to call themselves chunin, at least as long as I'm here. As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions I've put to you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. You have successfully passed the first gate. I hereby declare the first part of the chunin exams over. There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck."

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto cheered loudly. "We did it! That's one down."

" _Hmm so this is the son of lord fourth he's a funny one that kid_." Ibiki thought to himself.

Suddenly the window burst open surprising everyone. "Is this part of the test?!" Naruto yelped as exploding from the maroon banner with writing that had been hung up via kunai, making Ibiki disappear was a woman around Kakashi's age but seemed to act and looked young enough to be a teenager close to Sitka's age. Wearing a cream jacket an orange skirt and ninja mail armor as most of her attire. Her purple hair tied in a pony tail that spiked out wildly behind her hair.

" _Sigh… jumping the gun as usual."_ Ibiki inwardly groaned.

"Heads up boys and girls; this is no time to be celebrating! I'm your second proctor, Anko Mitarashi!" She declared. "Are you ready for the second test good, then let's go, follow me!" she declared raising her hand into the air. Ibiki peeked out from behind the banner when no one reacted the way she expected.

"You're early again…" Ibiki said, the genin giving her an awkward look

Anko then noticed how many there were sitting. "How many are there?" she turned. "Ibiki you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You're getting soft. " She complained.

"Or maybe we have a stronger crop of candidates this year." Ibiki retorted.

"Heh, they sure don't look it." Anko replied looking right at them. "Trust me by the time I'm done with them more than half will be eliminated."

"More than half?!" Kiki squeaked as Riku and Naruto gulped.

"Alright listen up; you maggots have had it easy so far! But things are going to be different starting tomorrow. I'll let your squad leaders know where to meet me. Dismissed!" she said the last bit of her words with such a venomous yet sweet tone that it made everyone's insides turn into the same Icy goo Naruto felt earlier.

* * *

 ** _Sorry this took so long you guys but Life kind of got in the way_**

 ** _READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!_**


	24. The Forest of Death! Part 2 of the exam!

_I own nothing except the stuff I made up OCs and idea by Freelancer1989_

* * *

 **The Forest of Death! Part 2 of the Chunin exams!**

The next day had finally arrived. The genin had all gathered to a fenced area with a thick dark almost swamp like forest with dark almost putrid greens and browns contrasting against the bright green grass and the khaki soil around them. The leaves hung like thick tangled locks on the hair of dirty street rats. All the Genin looked up at it. They also witnessed several large bugs crawling up some of the trees and a large snake swallow an eagle in one bite.

"This place is kind of creepy….." Kiki muttered as she and the boys looked up at it. The other rookies gathered behind them, getting their own view of what lay before them. Kabuto and his team both wearing the same masks and outfits looked up at it not as phased as the kids. Sakura shivered.

"Wow this place really gives me the creeps." she muttered.

Anko chuckled, with a slightly crazed grin. "It should, they call it the Forest of Death and soon enough you're gonna find out why." She sneered.

Naruto snorted on a confidence high since the first part of the Chunin exams was behind him. He also was thinking that Anko was trying to scare him much like Ikibi. " _They call it the forest of death and soon enough you're gonna find out why!"_ He mimicked in a high pitched voice getting Riku to glare at him ready to hit him. "Do you worst you're not gonna scare me off ya know!"

Anko smiled making Riku stop in his tracks as he eyed her. "Well, well, we have a tough guy." She said smiling almost too sweetly like poisoned honey. She quickly pulled out a Kunai and threw it. Riku darted away as it slit Naruto's cheek and cut off a single hair from a Genin with long hair wearing a large hat as it hit the ground. She then teleported behind him; "Can you handle this?" she asked in a dark and sinister tone. She could sense Naruto's stunned silence as blood dripped down his cheek. "You're not afraid are you? Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest." She said touching it to get a lick when she sensed someone approach her she turned holding another kunai but saw a long tongue drying out in the air holding the kunai.

"I was….just returning it." she replied.

"Why thank you," she replied taking it as a dark shadow loomed between them especially on the Grass Genin. The air around them was extremely thick. "Ya know I recommend you only stand this close behind me if you want a premature death." She replied taking the kunai from her.

Riku stared trying not to gulp. " _And I know why Sitka's terrified of her…."_

The woman's tongue slithered back into her mouth. "My apologies, with the sight of blood on your kunai slicing through my hair….I'm afraid I got a little….excited." she admitted her hat shadowing her eyes as her lips curled up into a smile.

Hinata whimpered Naruto's name as the Grass Ninja turned and went back to her group two other Genin wearing the same hats and had a white cord around their shoulders she had a pale yellow tunic stretching down to her calves with dark brown pants and an undershirt and long black hair.

"Likewise." Anko replied as she slowly went.

" _Brrr I thought this forest was creepy but that Grass Ninja is even creepier_." Kiki thought as the older Ninja went by her. She slowly moved out of the way not wanting to keep eye contact.

Anko smiled as she went back to her place in front of the Genin. "Seems like everyone is quick tempered" she said mostly to herself, before grinning, "must be something in the air. This is gonna be fun."

" _You're not doing so cool either, you're the one that threw a Kunai at him."_ Riku thought to himself as Naruto who was probably thinking the same thing rubbed his cheek a little.

"Now before we begin this test I have something to hand out to you all." She said pulling out a stack of papers."

"What are those?" Nika asked.

"Just standard consent forms." She replied smiling. Everyone stared at her. "Before you enter all of you are going to have to read over this form and then sign it."

"How come?" Naruto asked.

"Because some of you might not come back, and I need your consent for that reason." She replied before smiling. "Otherwise it would be my responsibility." She replied laughing.

Everyone chatted to themselves about how Anko was insane. Some were in disbelief to this. "She's kidding right?" Yoshi asked nervously.

"I don't think so….sadly…." Sakura replied.

"Now I'll explain what you'll be doing on this test. Here pass these out." She said giving the pile to Naruto as he began to do so. "The first thing you need to know is that this test will test every one of your survival skills. Shikamaru yawned thinking how much of a drag it was as Anko pulled out another parchment.

"First I'll give you all a description of the terrain on the practice field." She said unrolling a map. "The forty-fourth battle training zone has forty-four locked gates. There rivers and a forest inside. In the center is a locked tower located ten Kilometers inside. It's in this confined area that you'll undergo the survival test. The test consists of," she said putting the scroll back into her coat and looking up at them. "An anything goes battle to get your hands on these scrolls." She said pulling out two scrolls, one with a dark green outside the other was an off white.

"Both of them?" Riku asked.

"Yes, you'll be fighting to get both a Heaven scroll and an Earth scroll." Anko replied. "All together 26 teams will be par taking in this test which means half of them will be going after the Heaven scroll." She said gesturing to the white scroll in her right hand. "And the other half." She said jesturing the Blue one, "Will be going after the Earth Scroll. I'll hand over one of each to each team and that's what you'll be vying for." She replied holding both in one hand.

"Okay so how do we pass the test?" Kiki asked.

"Your entire squad must bring both a Heaven and Earth Scroll to the tower." Anko replied.

"But that means at best half of us are gonna fail!" Naruto stated.

"Or even less both can get the scrolls," Riku added.

"No one said this was gonna be easy, oh and by the way the test has a time limit you must finish it within five days." Anko said putting the scrolls back in her jacket.

"Five days out there?!" Ino asked in shock.

"WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO FOR FOOD?!" Choji shouted.

"Look around you, there's plenty of stuff in the forest enough to feed you all." Anko replied simply.

"Yeah but that's not that's not all the forest has to offer. There are also man eating beasts and poisonous plants out there." Kabuto pointed out.

"Awww maaaaaannn!" Choji groaned. "Quiet down this is why they call it survival."

"That means with these circumstances there's no way half the Teams will pass the test….." Neji muttered. Lee nodded.

"With the days getting longer the nights are getting shorter which means there will be less time to rest….a challenge indeed!" he said perking up his teeth glimmering.

Riku looked to the foreboding brush. "But that means we'll be completely surrounded by enemies there won't be time to rest we'll have to keep a constant watch."

"Right this test is designed to test endurance behind enemy lines, it's mean to be grueling. And chances are some of you won't be up for the challenge." Anko replied.

Shikamaru raised his hand. "So uh, let's say mid exam, can we quit?"

"No you can't just quit in the middle of a battle." Anko scolded before thinking. "Well I guess you could but it might get you killed," she said, finding the thought funny.

"Oh just great!" Shikamaru sighed, this gonna be a drag….." he sighed. Ino just had a perturbed thousand yard stare as Choji ate more of his chips.

"There are also some ways you can get disqualified," Anko added. "The first is simple if all three members of a Team fail to make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days; Two If a Team loses a member or if one or more becomes incapacitated and cannot continue. But most importantly none of you absolutely _none_ of you must read the contents of the scrolls before you reach the tower."

What happens if it flaps open and you just happen to read it?" Naruto asked.

Anko laughed at him. "Let me put to you this way kid. You. Don't. Want. Too. Know." Naruto groaned hanging his head. "There are times when a Ninja will be asked to carry secret Documents the scroll rule is to test your integrity. Okay we're done each team take your consent forms and when you're done hand them in and I'll exchange them for a scroll." She let out a sigh. "Oh and I have one more piece of advice. Don't die!"

 **X X X**

As the group gathered around, Kiki scribbled her name onto her sheet and had taken hers and boys bags, looking over the supplies. "Four canteens of water, two boxes of matches, three day's supply of food, a week's supply of medical equipment, and thirty kunai between us and everyone's stocked well on ninja tools." she sighed in relief. "We'll have to hunt if we can't make it there by the third day but that's better than nothing, tools, water and first aid are more important anyway." She started packing it up. Riku on the other hand was sitting on a large rock to survey the area. He was about to sign his own name but observed the desk where the wavers would be exchanged for scrolls.

" _I see how it is, we won't know which team has what scroll or who's carrying it….stealing information is really a matter of life and death…."_ He thought to himself as he signed the waver. No backing out now. " _Just like Ikibi said, everyone's equally determined to pass….And all of them are our enemies."_

Naruto quickly signed his own waver. As did the other genin who were willing to participate, that surprisingly included Sakura and Shikamaru.

Anko watched as the Genin talked amongst themselves, she smiled _"Well it looks like they're starting to understand what's really involved in this test."_

 **X X X**

As Naruto was busy looking over his gear one more time, he noticed Hinata standing under a tree. "Hey what are you doing all the way out here?" he asked she turned in surprise.

"Oh Naruto!" she gasped.

"Oh I Just uuhhhh nothing…." She replied looking away.

" _That's Hinata for you…."_ Naruto thought to himself. She suddenly saw the cut on his face.

"Oh your cut!" she gasp before reaching into her pocket. "Here I have this!" she said

"Hey Naruto!" Riku shouted catching the boy's attention.

"Oh uh gotta go!" he shouted waving back not even seeing the ointment as he rushed to meet his team mates.

" _Oh….I'll just hold onto it then._ " she thought.

Soon the curtain that had been pulled up had been pulled back. "Alright everyone we're going to start handing out scrolls." He said. The groups of genin all got up and one by one all the teams made their way to the booth to get their scrolls.

" _I wonder if any of them will survive this."_ Anko asked herself watching. Naruto handed over all their wavers as they obtained a Heaven scroll. Soon the last of the scrolls were passed out "Listen up all the scrolls have been handed out so go to your gate and wait there! When the gate's open the test is on!" she called after checking her watch, and they each went to a gate.

Hinata's team, were at gate sixteen, Kiba let out a cheer. "We rock at survival there's no way we can lose at this." He glanced over, "Hinata, you'd better be strong for this!"

"Uh right," she muttered a little unsure.

At gate twenty-seven was Shikamaru's team. "The test could cost us our lives…..this is such a drag!" Shikamaru sighed. "But since we have to do it, it'll be smart to attack a weaker team first, like Yoshi's" Ino nodded before looking at her other team mate with an exasperated raised eyebrow. Choji was too busy going over his food.

At Gate Nine was Sakura's Team. "I hope you two are ready," Yoshi said.

"Even if we weren't, its too late to turn back now," Nika said. "We gotta see this through, no matter what." He said as Sakura nodded Inner Sakura fist pumped.

" _Chaaa! Bring it on! We're gonna win this! There's no way we'll lose!"_

Riku's Team was at gate twelve, "Alright! I dare you to try Ninja! I'll throw anything you dish out back, believe it!"

Kiki nodded determinedly as Riku looked up at the forest confidently, "Yeah that's right!" he said.

At gate twenty had Dosu's team at it smirking. Dosu whispered to them quietly, with a chuckle. "The Time has come to carry out our orders in the open. Kabuto's Team was at gate thirty eight and Gaara's six.

" _Great not only will I have to deal with the punks on the other teams, I'll be with Gaara and he might try to kill me…."_ Kankuro thought nervously. He had glanced at Temari, knowing she was thinking the same thing, there was fear in her eyes.

At Gate fifteen were the Grass Genin lead by the girl who had returned Anko's kunai. "We'll target the rookies, they're easy prey!" said a large one with black eye shadow and lip stick one with a stone mask was listening in. They wore ninja fishnet clothing and black and white robes as the leader spoke up.

"We'll get their scroll from them in no time. Anything goes right?" she said sinisterly.

At Gate forty one was Team Guy. Lee's eyes burning with passion. " _Guy Sensei, I will make you proud! Just watch, soon everyone will know the name Rock Lee!"_ Neji gave a confident smirk along with Tenten waited at their gate.

 **X X X**

Soon one of the proctors came up and unlocked the chains from Team Seven's gate. Soon the locks and chains were pulled away. One more minute, passed. "Alright heads up you maggots! The second part of the Chunin exams has begun!" she shouted loudly, the gates flung open and everyone rushed in.

The Grass Ninja leader as she ran called out to the others. "You know who we're looking for!"

"Right those three brats." The other replied.

Team Seven marched into their own gate as Naruto cheered. "Well alright, here we go guys!"

"YEAH!" the two shouted.

Teams ten, eleven and Gaara were already flying through the trees.

"Sakura I think I have an idea, let's find somewhere secure to talk!" Yoshi called.

"Okay!" Sakura replied with a nod as Nika and Tiko followed Yoshi towards a small grove.

Team eight landed a few meters into the forest and began talking. "Okay first thing we've got to do is to find _it._ Are you ready Hinata?" Kiba asked.

She nodded and charged up her chakra clasping her hands together with one finger up, " _ **Byakugan!"**_ She declared as she began detecting for their target.

Team Guy was already making their way through the trees. Lee getting ahead, "Take it easy Lee, the test has only just begun."

"That may be," Lee replied not turning his head focusing on moving. "Whoever our enemies are, I want to find them before they find us!" he declared.

"You hot-blooded fool," Neji joked.

The sound Ninja jumped through the trees as well. "We have only one target stay focused…." Dosu instructed.

 **X X X**

"So Tiko, you understand the plan right?" Yoshi asked.

"Steal the scroll we need, sneak away, and we head off with the two scrolls to the tower, meow." He replied.

"Perfect, now all we have to do is find a Heaven scroll. Get it and we're done. Anyone comes after us we'll be fresh and ready to go!" Yoshi declared.

They suddenly heard laughing it was Kala who was sitting eating with his Team Kala tossing the Heaven scroll around a bit before putting it down. "I knew this was gonna be a piece of cake!"

"Mmmm cake…." One of the thugs said as Team Eleven watched them carefully. Tiko's ears were twitching his eyes scanning the area to see when he could go as Kala hit one of his team mates in the head.

"Hey Bozo focus, once we eat we're out of here! I wouldn't care but I'm pissed at you for making me miss breakfast, seriously what would you idiot's do without me!?" Kala snapped placing down the scrolls and standing to glare at them more, as Tiko grabbed the scroll and ran off with it back to his team and they scampered off. He sighed, sitting back down and went to take a bite of an apple when he noticed something missing but it was too late. He looked around frantically. "Where's the scroll? WHERE'S THE DAMN SCROLL?!"

Tiko and the others cheered laughing as they used the body flicker technique to get as far from Kala as possible. "Alright anyone else feel super avenged right now?!" Yoshi asked happily.

"CHAAA! I do! Let's go to that tower!" Sakura cheered as they rushed forward to their target, inner Sakura showing through, all three had also been targets of Kala's bullying in the past. Nika laughed as well.

"If we keep this up, we might even get head of the other teams! I wonder how long Choji will hold out." He said as they jumped through the branches.

"Are you kidding me? He's eating now!" Sakura said flatly.

 **X X X**

As predicted Choji was sitting eating a bag of Potato chips, "Hey I've gotta keep my strength up don't I?" he asked before going back to stuffing his face.

"You and your food, this is a survival test you know! You should've packed more Kunai and less Candy!" Ino growled.

Shikamaru gasped having heard something. "You guys, quick hide!" he said urgently as he and Ino jumped into the bushes pulling Choji along. It was a team of Rain Ninja he gasped when he saw a stray potato chip and shut his eyes however the Rain Ninja went having not noticed the chips on the ground. Ino sighed in relief as Choji just stared blinking.

" _Aww man I've gotta deal with five more days of this?!"_ He groaned in his mind.

 **X X X**

Another team of Rain Ninja spotted and even heard Kiba talking to Shino and Hinata as they watched. "So if the tower is initially where everyone is headed I say we lay a trap near it and take the scrolls as they come."

Akamaru sniffed growling a little bit. Kiba smirked, "well, well we've got company." He said alerting the other two.

The one rain ninja with a brown jumpsuit black hair and eye tattoos sneered. "Stupid brats, they're acting like they want to get caught."

The one in a grey jumpsuit and helmet smiled watching as he jumped onto the tree next to his orange haired partner. "Well it seems they've sensed our presence but they're so lame that they can't even pin point our location." he said landing.

Suddenly the one with tattoos looked very pale. He started to look faint. "Hey what's wrong?" Asked the orange one he turned slightly trying not to fall. He could suddenly see the back of his shirt wriggling. "What's with your shirt?!" he asked getting scared now. Suddenly something large and black with dark brown stripes poked out. "UHHHHHG WHAT IS THAT?!" he shrieked as more like it fell, Shino and the others watched. The two screamed as they were attacked, Kiba and Shino laughed.

"Well, well, looks like the leeches found them. They sense body temperature and perspiration and in a group they swoop down on their prey. If they suck your blood for five minutes, it's all over." Kiba said.

"They're very intelligent and we took advantage of their instincts to capture the enemies." Shino added as one tried to get up only to have several stuck to him trying to suck him dry as several dead ones surrounded them as they got extremely weak.

"Get off me!" one cried weakly only to trip a wire getting them caught in a net screaming. Kiba smirked

"There's one team down." he said as they shrieked, which could be heard by Anko who smirked.

"Sounds like the fun has begun," she said with a dark chuckle.

 **X X X**

Team seven also heard a shriek. Kiki jumped, covering her mouth. "That sounded like a scream…." Naruto said nervously.

"Yeah….we better hurry," Riku said. "Let's get an Earth scroll and head to the tower."

"First we have to find another team." Kiki added. She looked around at the forest, the screams going very silent. Some disturbed birds flew right over them. "I do _not_ like this place…." She muttered.

"Uhhh Excuse me," Naruto said trying to find a bush. "I gotta…ya know…"

"Right, hurry up and be careful." Riku said as their friend disappeared a few feet away.

"I feel like we shouldn't split up here….." Kiki muttered.

"He'll be fine," Riku assured. After a couple of minutes, they suddenly heard tumbling two Naruto's rolled out of the bushes.

"Get off me!" One shouted punching the other. Riku immediately suspected Genjutsu and maybe Naruto had a shadow clone stand watch, but when it didn't disappear that wasn't it.

"Naruto!" Kiki shouted.

"Kiki, Riku quick, this guy's a Rain Ninja trying to impersonate me!" One Naruto shouted. The two nodded and came after him leaving the other Naruto alone.

"What the hell don't just attack! You could kill your team mate!" 'Naruto' Snapped.

"Yeah we would if it wasn't obvious!" Kiki growled tying him up with vines and lifting him up.

"Whoa, how'd you find out so quickly!?" Naruto asked as the other slashed at the vines with a kunai.

"Take a close look at him." Riku replied as Naruto looked then he grinned.

"Well, well, looks like he sucks at transformation." He said tempted to laugh at his doppelganger.

"Yeah that one doesn't have the cut on his face you got from Anko, not only that the shuriken holster is on the wrong leg." Riku replied.

"Yeah you kept it on your right leg since your right handed." Kiki added, before turning her gaze onto the fake. "I'm surprised someone as lame as you made it this far into the Chunin exams, let alone got recommended at all." The other Naruto growled.

"I thought rookies were supposed to be easy targets!" he growled before changing back into a rain Ninja wearing a pale yellow jump suit and a mask that made his voice sound like it was going through a modifier. "Guess I have no choice, which one of you has the scroll!?" he asked the team was silent. "If you give it up quietly I'll spare your lives." No one reacted.

"Fine then I'll just have to take it from you!" he shouted rushing forward at the three of them.

Riku was the first to jump, weaving hand signs. " _ **Fire Style Phoenix flower Jutsu!"**_ He shouted small fire balls rushing down towards the Rain genin who expertly dodged it but was immediately hit by a beam of wood Kiki had quietly summoned to knock him into a tree. Naruto wove hand signs of his own before sucking in air.

" _ **Wind style Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"**_ Instantly the Rain Ninja was hit with a powerful burst of air and sent flying into a tree with enough force to knock the air out of him. However it changed into log. "Substitution?"

They looked around for the enemy genin. Kiki however saw something leap towards Riku. She gasped using her chakra she launched herself towards him. "Behind you!" she shouted. Riku turned as she flew by, pulling out two kunai and slashing the genin's chest causing an 'X' shaped mark that started to bleed as he hit the ground with a thud. Kiki and Riku leaped back by Naruto.

"Alright, Kiki!" Naruto cheered happily.

"Don't let your guard down; remember every teams a three man cell! The other two might not be far behind!" Riku barked quickly.

"Uhhhgggg…" the rain genin groaned getting up clutching his upper torso. "I wish…. I came alone to not seem suspicious. Big Mistake!" he muttered throwing down a smoke bomb and escaping.

"Man what an idiot, coming alone…." Riku sighed.

 **X X X**

The group walked for a little bit not wanting to go too far away from each other in silence before Riku stopped them. "Listen we can't stick together forever out here, and if we get separated again it'll be very easy for someone to get the jump on us by disguising themselves as one of us. So we'll need a pass code." Riku replied.

"Okay, like what? It can't be something easily guessed." Kiki pointed out. "And if a different password is given we have to assume they're the enemy no matter what."

"Exactly," Riku said as Naruto nodded along. "But we won't be using a password; we'll ask questions only our real team mates would know."

Kiki said smiling. "Nice work. That'll make it hard for anyone to impersonate us."

"Okay what should I ask you guys if I get separated?" Naruto asked.

"Something only me and Kiki would know. Like who were the first two Ninja we encountered while escorting the bridge builder. Or what's the head of the Rogue Uchiha's name." Riku replied, none of them had noticed that there was a mysterious reed behind them sticking out of the ground. Naruto smiled and opened his mouth but Riku shushed him. "Even walls have ears." He added.

"Alright let's get that other scroll." Naruto said as he stood. But he suddenly felt a slight cut on his cheek he checked it. "That's weird, it's almost like….." there was suddenly a large torrent of wind coming at them a high pitched whistling hit their ears as they were sent crashing through the forest.

The leader of the grass Ninja finished her jutsu before addressing her companions "You two go out into the woods and fan out, I'll handle this alone. This shouldn't be too hard."

"Right," one of them said as they took off.

 **X X X**

Having been knocked off a tree truck and crashing into a bush, a dazed Riku shook his head to clear it and hid in the bush as he tried to figure what just happened and where his team was. He sensed something and jumped out with a kunai, "Kiki?!"

"Yeah it's me, was that a wind jutsu?" Kiki asked.

"First answer my question? What's my favorite food?" Riku replied warily.

"Shrimp and pork dumplings with sauce to dip which needs a perfect flavor balance for you to enjoy it most." She replied.

"Ok good, it is you," He sighed in relief. "Where's Naruto?"

"I think he got the brunt of it. Which means….he could have been swept half way across the forest…." Kiki said fearfully. "I hope he's okay."

"Heeeyyyy!" shouted Naruto as he rushed over. "Are you guys okay?"

" _That was fast, and not in the direction of the Jutsu, could he be... "_ Kiki thought. "Stop!" she shouted making him do so. "Answer the question, who were the first two Ninja we encountered while escorting Tazuna the bridge builder." She said tipping off Riku that something might be wrong and remembering her analysis of the attack.

"Yeah, it was Haku and Zabuza." The blond haired boy answered. Instantly Riku threw a kunai, but Naruto dodged in a way that reminded him of Itachi's movements.

"Hey what's the deal, that was exactly right!" Naruto shouted.

"Are you sure?" Riku asked, "Because it doesn't sound right to me. Its true we did encounter them. But Zabuza was the third and Haku the fourth. The first two we encountered were the Demon Ninja brothers. Not only that the way you dodged was _**not**_ a Naruto move."

"Yeah the way you moved just now, that wouldn't be out of place for a way Kakashi sensei, or Itachi to move but not Naruto." Kiki added.

"I knew she asked that question to make double sure, it's common knowledge we did fight Zabuza and Haku but it's not nearly as widely known we found the Demon Ninja brothers first."

Naruto smiled an uncharacteristic smile, licking his lips "What a clever boy." He said in a completely different voice. He dismissed the disguise leaving a powerful burst of smoke revealing the Grass Ninja from earlier her hand on her hat. "Why not use an actual password like a Ninja creed."

"Because personal questions like that work better," Riku replied simply. "That makes it so much harder for the enemy to imitate our team mates. Also questions like the one Kiki asked could also work as a trap if they didn't know little details like that."

The woman pulled down the rain hat and smiled licking her lips again sending chills down their spines. "I'm impressed you certainly haven't let down your guard have you? This promises to be very entertaining." She chuckled.

" _She's the embodiment of creepy…but where is Naruto?"_ Kiki thought to herself.

 **X X X**

" _You really are hopeless aren't you? Taking a jutsu to the face like that."_ The Kyubi's voice rang as Naruto sat up rubbing his head. "Ow stupid fox I'll show you hope-" he groaned before his mind kicked in, "ack! Someone attacked!" he said jumping up, kunai out ready to strike. But there was no one. "Riku's got the scroll! That means they're after him! I've gotta get back to the others. Okay, Okay which way do I…." He said as a shadow loomed over him. He sensed it and gasped jumping away but the snake rushed after him. Naruto wasn't able to out run it and was completely swallowed screaming as he traveled down the snakes throat into the upper stomach, The snake, then contently slid off.

* * *

 **READ AND REVIEW DATTEBAYO!**

 **Editor's Notes:** I want to apologize for this one taking so long, I've had a lot going on in my personal life and my work situation, and couldn't really dedicate time to this. Hopefully things won't take the same turn they did going forward.

 **Sincerely, Freelancer1989**

 **Writers Notes:** As for me personal life as well, also trying to figure out exactly where to take my Pokemon story as well as be motivated for Ghetsis' mask


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